Explosive Balloons From Gaza Ignite Fires In Southern Israel

An Israeli farmer uses a tractor in an attempt to extinguish a fire in a wheat field near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, along the border with the Gaza Strip, after it was caused by inflammable material attached to helium balloons flown by Palestinian protesters from across the border. Image by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Incendiary balloons ignited three fires Tuesday in the Kissufim forest on the border with the Gaza Strip.
A day earlier, incendiary balloons ignited four fires — several in the same forest and another in a wheat field — that burned dozens of acres.
The balloons, carrying flammable materials, are lit and sent to fly over the border fence with Gaza toward southern Israel.
The arson attacks are a violation of an unofficial cease-fire between Israel and terror groups in the strip.
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