Egypt is leading "intense efforts" vis-à-vis Hamas to get to quell the recent uptick in arson terrorist attacks on Israeli communities adjacent to the Israel-Gaza Strip border, Kan News reported Wednesday.
The Palestinian terrorist arson campaign, launched in late April 2018, has caused hundreds of fires in southern Israel, decimating over 10,000 acres of forest and farmlands on the Israeli side of the border. Incendiary kites and balloons have caused millions of dollars in damage to the area and environmental experts say it will take at least 15 years to rehabilitate the vegetation and wildlife that have been destroyed.
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While such incidents have diminished over the past few months, as Egypt and the EU have been trying to broker a long-term ceasefire between Israel and the terrorist group ruling Gaza, the smaller terrorist groups in the Strip have continued to launch incendiary devices and explosives attached to balloons into Israel.
The last few days, however, have seen an increase in such incidents, sparking concerns that another escalation with Gaza is forthcoming.
Wednesday saw two incidents in which balloon-borne incendiary devices were sent from Gaza to Israel. Police sappers dealt with both.
According to the report, Israeli officials believe Hamas is behind the balloon-borne explosive devices launched into Israel in recent days, most likely as the group seeks to demonstrate that it is displeased with the slow progress of negotiations for a long-term ceasefire.
