IDF aircraft fires at Gazans launching arson balloons at Israel

Gaza protestor launches balloons

Times of Israel reports, “An Israeli aircraft opened fire at a group of Palestinians launching incendiary balloons at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip, the army said on Thursday night. There were no immediate reports of injuries from the airstrike. The strike came amid a marked uptick in suspected attacks from Gazans launching incendiary balloons into Israel. ”

“On Thursday, firefighters in southern Israel worked to extinguish at least nine blazes sparked by incendiary balloons flown over the border from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Fire and Rescue Services said. A spokesman said the fires broke out near several Israeli communities adjacent to the Gaza border, including Kibbutz Be’eri. On Wednesday, the fire service said there were four blazes started by suspected incendiary balloons near Kibbutz Be’eri over the Yom Kippur holiday.”

“The use of fire balloons had been halted for several weeks, after several months of multiple daily attacks that left thousands of acres in southern Israel scorched and sparked fears of children being injured by bombs placed on balloons or kites and launched over the border. The return of the fire balloons come as tensions along the Gaza-Israel frontier have ramped back up after a brief lull, with the Hamas terror group leading weekly marches on the fence. The last several days have also seen smaller nightly protests along the border.” (more…)