In the past few weeks, Israel has seized thousands of balloons heading for Gaza, over the fear that they would be used to carry out arson attacks on nearby Israeli communities.
Channel 10 has reported that three shipping containers heading for Gaza had their contents seized by Israeli officials at the Ashdod port.
Israel has reported that over 10,000 acres of land has been destroyed from arson attacks. The terrorist organisation, Hamas, uses balloons and kites attached with explosive devices to land in Israel to create wildfires, destroying crops.
The balloons are also aimed at power lines, resulting in severe power cuts in nearby Israeli settlements. This was the case for Kibbutz Sufa on Friday.
On Sunday, a resident of the Sha’ar Hanegev Region filmed an inflammatory device attached to a blown-up condom land in the area, which burst into flames once it had landed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu met with his top-level security cabinet members to discuss the issue. Israeli officials announced that “quiet will be met by quiet” – meaning that Israel is not looking to start any violence, nor will it allow any violence from Hamas to not be met with retaliation. He has stated that Israel is only looking for a full ceasefire, and will accept nothing else.
Last week Israeli communities close to the Gaza strip, were hit by a number of attacks, with over 200 rockets and mortars fired from Gaza. With at least nine people injured, including one woman seriously, this is the worst violence seen in the area since 2014.
Nine civilians were injured and dozens more suffered panic attacks as several missiles struck Sderot and the surrounding area.
One rocket reached the outskirts of Beersheba, which lies 43 km from the Gaza Strip. This makes it the longest reach of a Hamas rocket for four years.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) responded by striking over 100 military sites in Gaza, including a factory used for constructing materials used for terror tunnels and a training area.
Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman on Monday said that every Palestinian killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since March has been a member of Hamas. Hamas dedicates its work to the complete destruction of Israel and the Jewish people.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims three Palestinians including a pregnant woman and her daughter were killed, along with 11 others injured by the retaliation.
