During Operation Shield and Arrow, the Israel Defense Forces placed tall concrete walls at various points along the Gaza Strip periphery that were exposed to anti-tank missile fire from the enclave.
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The residents told Ynet last Tuesday that these concrete walls are causing a great deal of distress, and not only because they obstruct their view. "The feeling is that the border is getting closer and closer, and our open and free space is shrinking," said one resident, Batia Holin of Kfar Aza. "I feel like it's hard for me to breathe."
This week, something is lifting the spirits of the residents. Artist Elyasaf Miara, who has been painting bomb shelters in the south for years, has finished painting the new concrete barriers to make them more friendly. Funding for the project was provided by the Jewish National Fund in the United States.
"I painted the landscape that can be seen beyond the walls to create a continuous sequence of scenery, so that if you look from a distance the walls are less noticeable," he explained. "The goal was to blur the walls as much as possible, to embed the paintings on them. If we have to live like this, at least we'll make the most of it."
After the wall was placed, one of the residents said: "Until when will we fall for the 'security justification' of these walls? We block one breach, and they find another. How much can we imprison ourselves and close ourselves within walls? It's not the rockets and the emergencies that will drive residents away, but the prison we are slowly building around us, destroying our routine and daily lives."
Another resident added angrily: "This fortification is a symbol of Israel's loss of deterrence against Hamas in Gaza. How did we reach a point where we are defending ourselves knowingly and, worst of all, we reached a point where Hamas has this capability? What's next?"
The IDF stated in response to the wall's construction: "The settlements are located in close proximity to the Gaza Strip border. And in close cooperation with the local councils in the Gaza periphery, the IDF is making spatial adjustments through various means to respond to different security threats and ensure the security of the residents, and it will continue to do so."