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When the first incendiary kite landed in a Gaza border community on March 30, few imagined that it would turn into such a regular occurrence that would see the worst of the day. swathes of Israeli landscape.
Every day the flames of agricultural land and fields.
(Photo: AFP)
The local residents, who live under a constant threat of rocket fire from the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups, now have to fear in the sky flying kites flying from across the border.
One senior security source said to be a gimmick during the protests on the Gaza border, has grown into a serious threat that is making life more difficult for local residents, and adds a new threat for the people there need to prepare their kids. It may also lead to another escalation of violence in the south, several officials have warned.
(Photo: AFP)
The Reality of Rocket Fire and Red Alert Code is part of everyday life for the residents of Gaza border communities. Those who were still children when rocket fire began in 2001, are now parents who have not taught their children about the danger of missiles but about incendiary balloons as well.
"In your development as a parent in the Gaza border region," said Michal Gal-Burgan, a mother of two, from the Eshkol Regional Council.
"Our children ask us questions 'Why are they not nice to us?'. We tell them the truth and do not sugarcoat and we tell them about the balloons and kites as well. We simply tell them not to touch. There is a feeling of desperation and exhaustion, "added Gal-Burgan.
(Photo: AFP)
She also discussed daily life in the region since the end of Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
" It's been four years since Protective Edge, and it's been a normal life, but right now the situation is tense once again. It's tiring. I had hoped that when I became a parent, my children would not have to deal with the same issues. I thought the government would find a solution we could live in peace, but in reality, everyday we give up part of our peace of mind, "she concluded.
Local children spoke about their experiences, how they deal with the dangerous phenomenon.
"Counselors showed a picture of a ball and a balloon," said 8-year-old Elia Gal who is waiting for children's home for at-risk kids. "The balloon in the picture had a sponge with matches attached to it.
Avi Dabush, Dana Kalfa with the girls Hila and Amit, Michal and Nimrod Gal-Burgan with children Elia and Ariel and Aharon (Photo: Haim Horenstein)
Aaron Ariel Lavie, a father of four and a resident of Shuva, a religious moshav in southern israel where the past months of fiery balloons have landed, says that he and his family are very strong. However, he calls on the government to urgently formulate a policy to resolve the issue.
"I am not of those who complains … but unfortunately there is no policy on what happens in the Gaza Strip. If there is no diplomatic solution, there is no point in another war. It's hard to see our land being burned. I am a person who loves nature and it is painful to watch it get destroyed. It will only intensify. We should not accept this threat, "vented the father.
Ofir Kalfa, a father of two, and a Sderot native who currently lives in Kibbutz Gevim in the Gaza border region.
(Photo: AFP)
"Our children are heroes. The suffering they have experienced in the past few months has reached new heights. Our responsibility, as adults, is to fix the situation. The Netanyahu government is far from doing that, "Kalfa complained.
Another father of two, Avi Dabush from Sderot who serves as Head of the Meretz party in the periphery, called on the country to invest more in the region.
"Seventeen years of war and 100 days of incendiary kites, and the Israeli government keeps putting out fires. The position of the leadership is to formulate a strategy and to promote prosperity in Sderot and Gaza border communities. This is what the brave residents and children here deserve, "exclaimed Dabush.
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