Palestinians ramp up arson attacks, ignite 24 fires in Israel

Palestinian terrorists intensified airborne arson attacks on Thursday, setting off blazes throughout the Gaza envelope in Israel’s south.

By World Israel News Staff

On Thursday, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip launched a new wave of arson attacks, using incendiary devices attached to balloons to ignite fires in Israeli territory in the southern region.

In total, Palestinians caused around 24 fires in southern Israel’s Gaza belt, according to a Times of Israel report based on data from Israeli authorities.

The Palestinian arson campaign began in March 2018 and has fluctuated between periods of heavy and lighter attacks, with not a day passing during which an arson attack didn’t take place.

Thursday’s campaign represented an uptick in arson attacks, which involve Palestinians using balloons, kites, and even a live falcon to send incendiary devices into Israel, where they start massive fires that have destroyed thousands of acres of farmland and nature reserves, costing Israelis millions of dollars.

Some of the blazes have destroyed property communities in the Sha’ar Hanegev and Eshkol regions. On Thursday, fires struck these areas.

In response to the most recent wave of arson attacks, Israel stopped supplying gasoline and diesel fuel to the Gaza Strip this week, with the hope that the terror groups that rule the coastal enclave will rein in the cells that launch attacks at their behest.