IDF accuses Hamas of being behind Gaza ‘fire kite’ attacks
Palestinians load kites and balloons with flammable material
Judah Ari Gross writes in Timss of Israel, “The Israeli army on Sunday accused the Hamas terror group of directing ongoing airborne arson attacks from the Gaza Strip, identifying key figures suspected of being responsible for the project and sharing a video that it said showed incendiary balloons being prepared near a Hamas position. ‘Hamas is leading this phenomenon of explosive and incendiary kites, it is behind the launching of them and it will bear the responsibility of this terrorist activity,’ the army said. As evidence, the military released a video (above), filmed from its surveillance cameras, showing masked operatives taking balloons from what the IDF said was a Hamas observation post and walking toward the border, presumably to launch them at southern Israel.”
“As evidence, the military released a video (above), filmed from its surveillance cameras, showing masked operatives taking balloons from what the IDF said was a Hamas observation post and walking toward the border, presumably to launch them at southern Israel…The army said the efforts to launch the incendiary and explosive devices were being directed by Hamas regional commanders. Some of the materials used to make the kites and balloons are also coming from Hamas positions, according to the IDF. The military released the names and photographs of four men that it accused of being leaders in the arson attacks: Bassem Hatem Abd Hazin, Mutasim Fathi Atia Nabahin, Muhana Ibrahim Abd Hamdan and Amro Hussein Muhammad Abu Deif. By identifying the men, the IDF was sending a tacit threat both to them and to the Hamas organization in general, with the implication that the military could target them for assassination…
“In a statement, the IDF said the kites and balloons were initially launched into Israel as part of a grassroots form of terror that but was later co-opted by Hamas…In recent weeks, the IDF has taken to firing warning shots at the cells launching them, including multiple times on Sunday. In a few cases, the air force has also conducted retaliatory strikes against Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip later in the night.” (more…)
Palestinians prepare kite with flammable materials
Judah Ari Gross writes in Times of Israel, “Israeli drones carried out three airstrikes on targets in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to Palestinian media, including one that reportedly injured three people, in response to multiple airborne arson attacks from the enclave directed against southern Israel. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it had launched two airstrikes, but would not immediately comment on the reports of one…According to the IDF, the men had been preparing to launch airborne incendiary and explosive devices into southern Israel.”
“It was not immediately clear if the men had been deliberately injured. In the past, the IDF had generally avoided wounding Palestinians in its airstrikes against kite- and balloon launchers, instead firing warning shots or targeting empty vehicles…It was the third reported Israeli strike against a target in the Gaza Strip of the day.”
“The Israeli military has carried out multiple warning strikes in recent weeks at groups of Gazans preparing to launch incendiary devices toward Israel. The army has said repeatedly that it will act to prevent the launch of the airborne incendiary devices and explosives. Since March 30, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have launched hundreds of kites and helium balloons bearing flammable materials, and occasionally explosives, sparking near-daily fires that have burned thousands of acres of land in southern Israel. Israeli leaders on Wednesday evening warned Hamas, which rules Gaza, and other terror groups in the Strip, that the military was prepared to take more intense offensive action as well.” (more…)