A children’s playground was cordoned off in Kiryat Gat on Friday morning, when police were alerted to a bunch of “terror balloons” launched from Gaza that landed in a residential play area before the start of the school day.
Sappers and security forces successfully removed the balloons, which were fitted with combustible thread which had failed to light. Incendiary balloons have become a common terror tool in Gaza, with cheaply made balloon and kite arson devices having ignited more than 8,000 acres of Israeli land since March.
It was the second incident on Friday alone, with another set of balloons connected to an explosive device being found in the Eshkol Regional Council near Gaza.
Also on Friday, Israel Defense Forces neutralized an explosive device planted next to the security fence border with Gaza on Friday morning, the second such device to have been discovered in the last two days. On Thursday, terrorists attempted to attack a group of IDF soldiers on the Gaza border with a pipe bomb. Troops responded with live fire against three Gazans seen creeping along the security fence.
No injuries or damage were reported in any of the incidents.
“Hamas continues to try and harm the defensive infrastructure of the security forces along the security fence while using civilians in the strip as shields and as cover for acts of terror,” the IDF said in a statement.
Police encouraged residents to remain alert and to report all suspicious objects, especially ownerless balloons and kites.
