Hamas to cut back on its border riots to once a month

The steering committee responsible for the riots says it will cut back on them to once a month.

By World Israel News Staff

The “March of Return,” the euphemistic name given by the Hamas terrorist group to the weekly riots it organizes each Friday on Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip since March 30, 2018, will be cut back to once a month.

“The Return March Steering Committee announced at a press conference in Gaza that, starting in 2020, the marches will take the form of one demonstration a month instead of one demonstration a week,” Ynet reported.

The committee also said that riots will be held on days marking special events, such as Land Day, or the Nakba, (“disaster” in Arabic) – the term given by Palestinians for Israel’s victory in the War of Independence, when it successfully fought off five invading Arab armies.

The decision will not be implemented immediately, and Israel can expect riots to take place as usual this Friday.

The new monthly protest “format” will go into effect on the two-year anniversary of the riots, March 30, 2020.

During the riots, the Palestinians typically hurl rocks at IDF soldiers and burn tires.

The rioters have also launched incendiary kites and balloons that have burned thousands of acres in Israel. The Israeli police announced on Thursday that they may soon have a solution to that problem in the form of a laser capable of knocking them down.

The riot committee includes representatives from all  factions in the Gaza Strip, Ynet reports, but takes its marching orders from Hamas, which rules the territory.

The paper says the move is a gesture by the terror group to show its “willingness to reach a meaningful series of understandings with Israel.”

Israel had asked for a reduction in the riots. It has also asked that Gaza terrorists cease firing rockets into Israel, the paper reports.