Residents of southern Israel protest government’s ‘inaction’

Israelis living in southern Israel near the Gaza border protested the supposed inaction of the government regarding the terrorist threat from Hamas. 

By: World Israel News Staff

Hundreds of residents of communities surrounding the Gaza Strip protested Saturday night at Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square regarding the ongoing Hamas-led rocket and arson attacks against Israel’s south.

Demonstrators marched with signs reading, “We are not cannon fodder,” “Our children’s childhood has been stolen,” and “Wake up, the entire south is burning,” demanding the government act to ensure their security.

The protesters launched fake incendiary balloons, sounded a siren and lay down on the ground, showing how they have been living under continuous attack from Gaza.

Over the course of the past four months, Hamas terrorists have launched thousands of incendiary devices into Israeli territory, resulting in the destruction of more than 7,400 acres of land, hundreds of acres of wheat fields and 2,700 acres of protected nature reserves.

Over 1,000 incendiary devices were sent across the border, leading to more than 750 fires –an average of 11 per day. Not only has the cost of damage exceeded $3 million, but it will take years to reverse the ecological damage caused by Hamas.

Also in recent months, Hamas terrorists have launched hundreds of rockets and mortars and communities surrounding the Strip.

The protest came amid the ongoing reports that Israel and Hamas, through Egyptian mediation, are on the brink of a long-term ceasefire.

Commenting on the reports, protest organizer Alona Braun, a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, dismissed the viability of a ceasefire.

“There isn’t any security,” she told Hadashot news. “Yesterday, six kites or balloons set fire to fields in our area. We demand lasting security, and as long as it is not guaranteed to us, we will continue to protest.”