Eighteen fires ravaged the South of Israel on Thursday as incendiary balloons from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip continued to fly into Israel. There have been close to 100 fires from incendiary devices reported in southern Israel since the beginning of the week, including 19 fires reported on Wednesday.A map made by Adele Raemer shows the locations of the many fires that have singed the area around Gaza.
Blue and White MK Alon Shuster, who is a member of Kibbutz Mefalsim, which was hit by an incendiary kite and ignited on Thursday, slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying: “It looks like Netanyahu really doesn’t care to let the world burn, all that matters is that he escapes the court.” Netanyahu is facing an indictment from Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit for bribery, breach of trust and fraud.
Shuster further slammed the current administration for what he called “criminal negligence” of Gaza border communities. Former Education Minister Naftali Bennett also blamed the government for not doing enough to combat the fires."The South is burning and the government is busy with elections," Bennett said."When incendiary balloons began I said the terrorists must be hit," he said, "but my opinion was rejected in the cabinet and now we have 14 fires in a single day." The number has since risen.The fires have led Israel to close the Gaza fishing zone on June 12 before reopening it on June 18.