BICOM

Israeli fire crews battled large fires in the Be’eri Forest last night after Kite’s were set alight and sent over the border from Gaza, destroying dozens of acres of agricultural land.

More than ten teams of firefighters from the western Negev station worked on the ground to try to take control of the blaze. The heat wave and strong winds in the area yesterday helped the flames spread uncontrollably, the authorities said.

Over the past few weeks, four incendiary kites a day have been sent to Israel as part of the protest taking place along the Gaza border. It is estimated that hundreds of kites have landed in Israel since the protests began five weeks ago, destroying about 200 acres of agricultural fields.

Eshkol Regional Council Chairman Gadi Yarkoni called on the the government to find a solution to the Palestinian use of incendiary kites. “The wheat and barley fields are being damaged before they have been harvested. The security and agricultural personnel in the towns have been working overtime to put out the fires and not to allow them to spread and cause greater damage,” he said.

He urged the government to provide compensation for the damage, saying agriculture is  “our livelihood and the beating heart of the Eshkol Regional Council”.

The use of incendiary kites has created a new wave of panic among the region’s population, especially among young children who are used to playing with kites. Local schools have reported an increase in young patients to trauma centres.

Yesterday, in the Khan Yunis area, a new method was observed for the first time in which helium balloons connected to a burning object were sent over the border with the burning object falling onto Israeli land.