Southern residents to turn to UN to protest incendiary balloons

Despite a reported agreement between Hamas and Israel, 14 fires were sparked by incendiary balloons on Friday, and another two on Saturday.

IDF firefighters extinguishing a fire in Gaza Envelope in south Israel, one of 25 fires in the region today, caused by incendiary balloons, sent by terrorists from Gaza. Gaza Envelope, Jun 27, 2019 (photo credit: AVIV HERTZ/ TPS)
IDF firefighters extinguishing a fire in Gaza Envelope in south Israel, one of 25 fires in the region today, caused by incendiary balloons, sent by terrorists from Gaza. Gaza Envelope, Jun 27, 2019
(photo credit: AVIV HERTZ/ TPS)
Residents of Israel's South have decided to turn to the United Nations concerning the waves of incendiary balloons that have been launched from Gaza toward Israeli communities near the Strip, according to Channel 12.
Heads of regional councils near the Gaza border and residents of communities in the area are looking into the legal options for turning to the UN in order to protest the disruptions and human rights violations carried out by the Hamas terror organization against residents of southern Israel.
 
"I'm from a community near the Gaza Strip and I feel invisible," said one resident in a video by the Unity with the South protest group. "I feel like the rest of the country doesn't see me."
"Right-wing people say that I deserve this because of the disengagement. Left-wing people say that I deserve this because I voted for Bibi [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu]," she added. "We've been shields for the state for years and I feel like we're the body bags of the state."
Despite a reported agreement between Hamas and Israel, 14 fires were sparked by incendiary balloons on Friday. Another two fires were caused by balloons on Saturday, according to a spokesman for Israel's Fire and Rescue Services.
A total of about 100 fires were reported in the past week, but no government officials visited the area or discussed the issue with  regional council heads in the area, according to Channel 13.
On Friday, some 7,000 Palestinians violently demonstrated along the border, where an IDF jeep caught fire after a Molotov cocktail hit it. There were no reports of Israeli injuries.
IDF troops used riot dispersal means against the protesters, including live fire. At least 49 Palestinians were injured. Eight medics and one journalist were also reportedly injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel expanded the Gaza fishing zone to 15 nautical miles at 10 a.m. and is agreeing to return 60 confiscated boats. Israel also agreed to resume fuel delivery to the blockaded coastal enclave with a reported four trucks transporting more than 150,000 liters of fuel. Israel had stopped the fuel shipments on Tuesday after the fires broke out due to incendiary balloons. Two weeks ago, Israel imposed a full maritime blockade on the Strip.

Stay updated with the latest news!

Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter


As part of the understanding, Hamas is said to have committed to preventing the launch of the aerial incendiary devices and ensuring that the border protests are nonviolent.
Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.