Burning Kites Flown into Israel Destroy Land

Last Thursday, the Israeli Air Force attacked a Hamas infrastructure in southern Gaza, after a terror group left the site and began flying incendiary kites into Israel. Hamas has been lighting kites on fire to fly into Israeli border areas where farmers use this land to grow mainly wheat. Two representatives from Song For Israel visited this area last month and stood about ¾ of a mile from the Gaza border and saw the smoke from these fires. 

Photo by Reuters

Since that time, the damage from the fires caused by the incendiary kites and balloons has reached $1.4 million and has included at least 2,000 acres of wheat, orchards, irrigation systems and nature reserves.

One border fire consumed the nature reserve in Carmia, which backs up to the Eden Center, the location for Song For Israel’s first bomb shelter. At the same time the fire was burning, Palestinians sent rockets into Carmia (and many other villages on the Gaza border). My heart went out to the girls who live at this Center as they were so close to the fires, suffered with smoke inhalation and then had to run into our bomb shelter as sirens gave warning.

Israel was not equipped to handle the many fires all occurring at the same time. A plea went out to purchase more fire equipment and many Americans have helped. Israeli leaders have warned the Hamas terrorist group, which rules Gaza, that the military was prepared to take more intense offensive actions against these terrorist attacks. 

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) recently deployed a new detection system to combat the terrorism which has been plaguing them and has deployed drones to cut down the kites, both with limited results.

Palestinian terrorists have launched more than 600 incendiary kites into Israel since the start of the “March of Return” around 12 weeks ago. The “March of Return” is a protest that demands that Palestinian refugees and their descendants be allowed to return to Israel. They are also protesting the blockage of the Gaza Strip and the moving of the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Violence during the protests has resulted in the deadliest days of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the 2014 Gaza War, known as Operation Protective Edge.

Please pray for the safety of those living in Israel and that the efforts of the terrorists will be thwarted.