Independence Day flyover to pass over south in show of support after Gaza fighting

The Israel Defense Forces says the air force’s Independence Day flyover will pass over communities in southern Israel this year following heavy violence in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, in a sign of support for local residents.

“The flyover will pass above communities of the Gaza periphery in the south and will express the IDF’s admiration for the residents of the south and the strength and resilience they displayed during the recent days of fighting and over the years,” the army writes on its official Twitter page ahead of Independence Day on Thursday.

Beginning early Saturday, terror groups in Gaza fired some 690 missiles at Israel, killing four Israelis. The IDF conducted over 300 strikes in response, with the Strip’s Hamas-run health ministry reporting 29 killed. At least 11 of those have been acknowledged by Hamas and Islamic Jihad as their members.