Incendiary kites, balloons hit Gaza periphery, sparking fires

Fires erupted in at least seven locations in the Gaza periphery on Saturday, caused by incendiary kites and balloons flown into Israel from the Strip.

Firefighters were battling flames near the town of Sderot. According to the Ynet news website, one fire was raging near a military post on the border. Firefighters were at the scene and there was no danger to the soldiers.

Earlier, firefighters put out blazes in the Kisufim area of the western Negev. The fires came amid an intense heat wave, with temperatures in the area hitting 40°C (104°F.)

On Friday incendiary balloons and kites set 11 fires inside Israel, which were extinguished by the fire services and local volunteers. A booby-trapped balloon was also flown into Israeli territory, landing on a highway in the Sha’ar Hanegev region. Police sappers were called to the scene and destroyed the balloon and the explosive device attached to it in a controlled explosion, police said.

Hamas threats to send 5,000 flaming kites and balloons into Israel failed to materialize, with many Palestinians busy with the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday that caps the fasting month of Ramadan. Eid is traditionally a time of family visits and festive meals, with children getting new clothes, haircuts and gifts.

Attention may also have focused on the World Cup in Russia. Two matches featuring Arab teams took place Friday afternoon as Egypt — without the iconic Mohammad Salah — took on Uruguay, and Iran played Morocco.

At Kibbutz Nir Am Friday, children and residents launched balloons carrying candy towards the Palestinian enclave, Hadashot TV news reported.

Nir Am has suffered a number of fires sparked by burning kites flown from Gaza.

Hadashot news reported that Israel for the first time used a new radar to find kites and balloons, which were then intercepted by drones. The radar, initially designed to detect gliders, was calibrated to pick up the kites.

Also Friday Israeli military aircraft fired warning shots at a group of Palestinians in Gaza involved in the launching of burning balloons.

The method of firing warning shots appeared to be a new tactic that the military was looking to adopt in order to counter the threat posed by these kites and balloons, which have burned thousands of acres of farmland, forests and nature reserves in the regions around the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli officials.

Since March 30, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have launched hundreds of kites and helium balloons bearing flammable materials, and occasionally explosives, into Israeli territory, sparking near-daily fires.

The military has sought to counter these kites and balloons with teams of soldiers operating drones. Israeli officials have deemed the drone program a success, but it has not provided a perfect solution.