The first wave of Palestinian airborne arson attacks on Israel from Gaza Strip using airborne incendiary devices (incendiary balloons, incendiary kites, etc.) was launched in May 2018 during the 2018 Gaza border protests. These attacks are taking an advantage of the prevailing westwards winds which propel the airborne devices to Israel. [1] [2] The fires that ensued annihilated distinctive habitats, ecosystems, and agricultural fields. [3] [4]
Since the beginning of the border riots, Palestinians have increasingly utilized incendiary kites, a primitive and inexpensive weapon that has managed to evade detection by IDF surveillance. [5] [6] [7] [8] In some instances, Palestinians successfully downed IDF surveillance drones with slingshots as the drones attempted to intercept the incendiary kites. By early May 2018, hundreds of these kites had been launched into Israel, resulting in devastating consequences. Hundreds of acres of JNF forests were set ablaze, causing immediate damage estimated at half a million shekels. The long-lasting consequences are significant, as it will take several years to restore the vegetation and soil that were incinerated. [9] On May 2, a massive fire broke out in the Be'eri Forest, destroying several hundred dunams of forest land. [10]
Since May 7, 2018, there has been an increasing use of a simpler method: incendiary balloons carrying pre-lit Molotov cocktails, launched from the Gaza Strip in addition to the kites. These balloons have a longer range compared to the kites. When the Molotov cocktail ignites, the balloons explode in midair, with burning material falling down, causing fires in seven different locations. These incidents include a fire in a wheat field near Mefalsim and another in the Be'eri Forest. [1] While occasional launches of these balloons were reported since early April, their use has escalated significantly since May. [11]
On May 11, the IDF deployed new, small remote-controlled drones equipped with knives on their wings to combat incendiary kites by cutting their guide lines. Reportedly, these drones downed more than 40 kites in the first two days. [12] However, this method ultimately proved ineffective. [11]
By July 2018, incendiary kites and balloons had caused 678 fires in Israel, burning 910 hectares (2,260 acres) of woodland and 610 hectares (1,500 acres) of agricultural land. [13] Some balloons landed in residential areas of the Eshkol Regional Council [14] and the Sdot Negev Regional Council, though no injuries were reported. [15] A cluster of balloons reached Beersheba, located some 40 kilometers (25 mi) from the Gaza Strip. [16] [17]
In response to the escalating incendiary attacks, Israel took action. On July 9, 2018, Israel closed the Kerem Shalom border crossing, [18] and on July 16, the transfer of gas and fuel via the crossing was stopped. [19]
Continued airborne arson attacks were reported in 2019, [20] [21] [22] 2020 [23] [24] (in August 2020 fuel shipments to Gaza Strip were suspended again, in response of the resumed arson attacks. This caused the shut down of the only Gaza Strip power plant. [25] ), and 2021. [26] In July 2021 Israel has reduced the fishing zone off Gaza by half, from 12 nautical miles to 6, in response to incendiary balloons launched into the Eshkol Regional Council area. [27]
To combat the new form of terrorism, the only reliable method was constant monitoring and putting out the fires by hand. [11] In February 2020, the Light Blade (Lahav or), a new laser weapon system was deployed as an operational experiment to the Gaza border against kites and balloons. [28]
A member of the Sons of Zouari group, responsible for many arson attacks, said in an interview:
"We, as Palestinians, do not recognize these fields as belonging to the enemy. These are our lands, and the fields planted on them are not theirs by right. These are our lands, and we have the right to them. We say to them: We will not let you sow our lands and enjoy them. We will burn your fields, which you harvest to pay for the bullets that you use to shoot children and peaceful unarmed demonstrators." [29]
The resulting fires caused harm to wildlife, unique habitats, and ecosystems. [30] While agricultural fields are likely to recover relatively quickly, the same cannot be said for wildlife in protected areas. In 2018, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority reported that approximately 10 square kilometers of conservation areas were affected. Although much of the flora is expected to return within a year, the complete recovery of the ecosystem will take considerably longer. Reportedly, both larger animals such as foxes, porcupines, and jackals, as well as smaller creatures like rodents, snakes, and insects, have been killed in significant numbers. Since the reserves adjacent to Gaza are relatively small, the impact of the fires on these areas is disproportionately large. [31] [32] Concerns have been raised about the declining diversity of flora following the fires and the encroachment of invasive species into the recovering areas. [33]
Among the protected areas affected were the Be'eri Badlands Nature Reserve, Karmia Sands Nature Reserve, and Besor Stream Nature Reserve. [31] [33]
Another significant concern is air pollution resulting from the massive fires. [31] In addition to the smoke produced by the arsons, the burning of tires during the protests has led to the release of toxic chemicals into the air. Furthermore, burning forests contribute to increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, thereby exacerbating the greenhouse effect. [32]
Eshkol Regional Council is a regional council in the north-western Negev, in Israel's Southern District. The regional council's territory lies midway between Ashkelon and Beersheba, bounded on the west by the Gaza Strip while the eastern border abuts the territory of the Bnei Shimon Regional Council. Due to its proximity to the Gaza Strip, the region has experienced numerous sporadic waves of violence, primarily as a result of rocket attacks, mortar strikes, and fires caused by incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza Strip. These waves of violence often result in widespread damage to farms and structures within the region.
Mefalsim is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located near the Gaza Strip and covering 11,000 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 1,057.
Events in the year 2010 in Israel.
This is a list of incidents Israelis and Palestinians in 2011 as part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
The 2012 Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip was a military operation carried out in the Gaza Strip by the Israel Defense Forces starting on 14 November 2012, following rocket attacks on Israeli territory launched from Gaza during the preceding days.
The Gaza Envelope encompasses the populated areas in the Southern District of Israel that are within 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) of the Gaza Strip border and are therefore within range of mortar shells and Qassam rockets launched from the Gaza Strip.
The following is a timeline of the 2014 Gaza War. Over 2014, Palestinians suffered the highest number of civilian casualties since the Six-Day War in 1967, according to a United Nations report, given the July–August conflict, and rising tolls in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. A spike in Israeli casualties also occurred. 2,256 Palestinians and 85 Israelis died, while 17,125 Palestinians, and 2,639 Israelis suffered injuries.
The 2018–2019 Gaza border protests, also known as the Great March of Return, were a series of demonstrations held each Friday in the Gaza Strip near the Gaza-Israel border from 30 March 2018 until 27 December 2019, in which Israeli forces killed a total of 223 Palestinians. The demonstrators demanded that the Palestinian refugees must be allowed to return to lands they were displaced from in what is now Israel. They protested against Israel's land, air and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip and the United States recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel.
An Incendiary kite(also Firebomb kite, flaming kite, Fire Kite) is a kite with a bomb, incendiary device, or Molotov cocktail attached.
An incendiary balloon is a balloon inflated with a lighter-than-air gas such as hot air, hydrogen, or helium, that has a bomb, incendiary device, or Molotov cocktail attached. The balloon is carried by the prevailing winds to the target area, where it falls or releases its payload.
The Sons of Zouari are a militant group in Gaza, responsible for launching incendiary kites and balloons into Israel causing damage to fields and land, during the 2018 Gaza border protests. The group's incendiary balloons are usually attached with Molotov cocktails, grenades, and other flammable materials, and inflated with helium. The wind from the Mediterranean sea allows the kites and balloons to float into Israeli territory and cause damage to farmland, forests, and wildlife. The group is named after Hamas’s chief drone expert and engineer Mohamed Zouari, inspired by his method of "invasion by air" as he supervised an unmanned aircraft during the 2014 Gaza War. In June 2018, the Israeli Air Force targeted the car of one of the group's leaders, though the car was empty at the time. The group targets both houses and land. Damage by kites has caused damage to thousands of acres of Israeli farmland near Gaza during the 2018 Gaza border protests.
The Be'eri Forest of area about 11,000 dunams is located in the western Negev, within the Eshkol Regional Council area. It was planted by the pioneers of the kibbutz Be'eri.
The Anzac Memorial is a monument in Be'eri Forest, Negev, Israel, to the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand armies who were killed in Palestine during the First Battle of Gaza and Second Battle of Gaza of World War I.
On 7 October 2023, in the opening attacks of the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Hamas militants carried out a massacre at Be'eri, an Israeli kibbutz near the Gaza Strip.
On 7 October 2023, a sudden assault was launched on Israel by Hamas militants originating from the Gaza Strip. They targeted Kissufim kibbutz located in the Southern District of Israel. As a result of this violent attack, at least four kibbutz security team members, four other residents, six Thai laborers and eight Israeli soldiers were killed, while at least four individuals were additionally abducted and taken to Gaza.
More than 100 fires were reported in June 2019 alone, with reported damage to at least 4,500 acres of farmland.
