Incendiary devices burned half of forests near Gaza, data shows

Half of the forested land near the Gaza Strip has been burned in the last six months as a result of incendiary kites and balloons sent from the Palestinian coastal enclave, new data released Tuesday showed, even as multiple fires were burning in the region.

The information, from Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), showed that more than 1,100 fires that have been set ablaze since April 10, the day KKL-JNF workers first reported fires from incendiary devices. The fires have burned nearly 12,000 dunams (120 hectares) of land near the Gaza Strip, more than half of the 21,000 dunams (2,100 hectares) of forested land in the region.

Early Tuesday, an IAF aircraft struck a launching post for incendiary balloons that had been sent into Israel, one of multiple reported by local authorities for the day.

Since April, Palestinians have routinely sent incendiary devices — kites and balloons affixed with Molotov cocktails or burning cloths — across the border fence with the aims of setting Israeli territory ablaze. In recent weeks, a number have been found in Jerusalem as well, which have been dealt with by Israeli police. Despite a late-summer lull in the number of incendiary devices, the amount sent into Israeli territory has steadily increased again in October.

Beginning in late March, Palestinians rioted along the border fence with Israel, prompting responses from the IDF, and paving way for the launching of the incendiary devices. The IDF routinely responds by shelling launching outposts in the Gaza Strip.

“This week we mark exactly half a year of the phenomenon of kite terrorism, which caused more than 1,000 fires, which consumed 12,000 dunams of the forests of the western Negev,” Daniel Gigi, director of the KKL-JNF Southern Region, said in a statement. “Although the fire continues today, thanks to joint work with the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority, the residents of the communities, the volunteers and the IDF, we manage to take control of the fires quickly. In the past six months all the regional authorities have united and together we have built a working model to fight the fires when they are still small.”

The information also comes against the backdrop of Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman ramping up rhetoric against Hamas, the enclave’s ruling party since 2007. Liberman, in a meeting with top military brass near the Gaza Strip, said the time had come for decisive actions against the terrorist group.

“Now is the time for decisions. My position is very clear: We must deal a heavy blow against Hamas. This is the only way to return the situation to its previous state and to reduce the level of violence to nearly zero,” Liberman said.

The security cabinet, however, has not taken a decision to launch a military operation. Egypt this week is making another attempt to broker a cease-fire understanding between Israel and Hamas.

Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.

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