O
n Monday in southern Israel, a series of fires erupted on the Gaza Strip as a consequence of flaming objects being thrown over the border.
Palestinians have embraced a new method of directing blazing kites and helium-filled balloons into Israel, igniting dozens of acres of nearby wheat fields.
An Israeli military aircraft hit a Hamas military site in the northern Gaza Strip used as a launching pad for the explosives, on Sunday night, the first known army strike in response to the kite firebombs.
As well as the burning balloons sent over the border, a suspicious booby trapped kite was reported to have landed near Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
“The IDF will continue to operate against terror activity above and below ground, and holds the Hamas terror organisation responsible for all terror activities in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement.
An army spokesperson said, the strike was a response to “terrorists launching burning incendiaries in an attempt to a cause fire in Israeli territory”.
The response comes after numerous Israeli reports said that the army was debating to strengthen its response to the kites, including targeting those launching them with force.
The kite method has come as part of the weekly “March of Return” clashes at the border fence, an eight-week-long set of protests that began on March 30 and is due to continue until at least mid-May.
Though they were originally scheduled to be non-violent protests, they were organised by the Hamas terror group, which rules Gaza and whose leaders have said their goal is to remove the border and “liberate Palestine.”
