Report: Hamas Offers Deal to End Kite Terror, Return Soldiers

The IDF was preparing for another Friday of rioting and kite terror at the Gaza border, after about a dozen fires caused by kites and balloons laden with flammable material were sent into Israel. The IDF is set to unveil a new high-tech system to identify and neutralize the launching of terror kites and balloons while they are still close to the ground in Gaza, Walla News reported.

Other reports said that the system would use sensor technology to track down kites and balloons when they are launched, and laser-equipped drones to shoot the kites or balloons down, while they are still over the skies of Gaza.

Meanwhile, Hamas has offered Israel an opportunity to end the latest round of unrest, said a report in the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper, identified with Hezbollah. Hamas will end its terror campaign, and return the remains of missing IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, Hy”d, – in exchange for the establishment of an airport and a seaport in Gaza. Hamas passed the message on to Israel via Egypt, said the report.

Hamas is also demanding that the Palestinian Authority end its own sanctions against Gaza. The Fatah-controlled PA has for months cut off Hamas-controlled Gaza from salaries and other financial benefits. Egyptian officials said they could not guarantee that, but did say they would urge Sunni Arab countries in the Gulf to contribute to a fund to reconstruct Gaza.

Speaking Thursday, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said that there was “a very good chance that a major campaign will be undertaken in Gaza in the coming months. The idea would be to ensure a long period in which Gaza terrorists fear to attack Israel, and to send a message to Gazans that the only way forward is for the Hamas regime to be overthrown. This is not something I want, but we may have no choice,” Erdan told Army Radio.

Erdan also advocated shooting gangs that launch the kites and balloons. “Anyone participating in these activities is a terrorist, and must be treated as one. I believe we need to change our policy and shoot these people, along with the current policy of destroying Hamas terror targets, and to target senior Hamas members. We have been raising our level of response and should continue to do so, to get to the point where Hamas decides it has gone far enough, as it wants to avoid a direct conflict that it realizes will mean the end of its regime in Gaza.”