Couple poses for wedding pix among burnt fields near Gaza border

Large swaths of forests, fields and grasslands along the Gaza Strip border have been destroyed by incendiary kites and balloons sent into Israel from the coastal enclave. But one couple has chosen to take their wedding photos among the blackened remnants, explaining it was the landscape of their childhood.

The poignant photos show the couple dressed in white at Tel Gama, near Kibbutz Re’im, while all around them are the ashes of the once-lush foliage. Despite security concerns — several guests were too nervous to attend the wedding last week — Dana and Itai Nisanov went ahead with the celebrations, Hadashot news reported Monday.

“We know every grain of dirt here,” Itai Nisanov told Hadashot. “When you’re young — with your bike. When you get older — with your motorcycle. And afterwards with four-wheelers and jeeps.”

Dana Nisanov told the news channel life was challenging so close to the Gaza border.

“We live under fire 24 hours a day,” she said. “It is unreal.”

Since March 30, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have launched countless kites, balloons, and inflated latex condoms bearing flammable materials, and occasionally explosives, into Israeli territory, sparking near-daily fires that have burned thousands of acres of farmland, parks, and forests.

Hadashot news reported that so far some 33,000 dunams (over 8,000 acres) of land have been destroyed by the airborne incendiary devices — an area almost as large as the central city of Petah Tikva.

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Israeli leaders have been split on how to respond to those responsible for the airborne arson attacks, with some calling for the IDF to shoot the kite flyers and balloon launchers on sight, while others argue that it would be a step too far.