Firefighters in the south on Thursday were battling at least 10 fires caused by incendiary devices launched on balloons from the Gaza Strip.
No injuries have been reported thus far.
The first fires were reported a few hours after the IDF hit Hamas targets in the besieged enclave in response to the continued dispatch of explosive and incendiary devices across the border during the past week.
The IDF deployed spotters on certain parts of the border in order to identify balloons before they land so as to rush teams to put out any flames before they spread.
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Smoke emanating from a fire caused by incendiary devices dispatched from Gaza towards Israeli border communities
(Photo: Merav Mironchik )
Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered the suspension of the supply of petrol into Gaza after he had ordered the closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing earlier in the week blocking supplies from entering the Strip, a move recommended by Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, (COGAT) issued a statement placing responsibility for the fires on the Hamas rulers in Gaza, "They would be culpable for any violence against Israeli citizens," the statement read.
Hamas said in response that Israel should consider its aggressive policies, "aimed at intensifying the crisis already burdening the Palestinian people because of the coronavirus pandemic and the siege on the Strip and the international communities silence – which forces a change in the parameters on the ground and the attempts to change the existing equation. We will not accept things as they are," they said.
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Gaza residents prepare incendiary device to dispatch towards Israeli border communities
Israeli residents of the border communities say they will not be perturbed by " Hamas's attempts to gain attention," "Even if things get worse we will know how to deal with them," one man said.