Shaked: ‘Iron Fist’ Must Be Deployed Against Gaza Kite Terrorists

At least six fires were burning Tuesday afternoon in the Gaza border area, the result of more kites and balloons loaded with incendiary agents dispatched at Israel by Gaza terrorists. Firefighters were battling blazes in the area of Kissufim, the Be’eri Forest and Nachal Oz. Officials reported that all the blazes were under control.

On a visit to the Gaza border area Tuesday, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said that “a terror kite is no less a danger than a missile. The rules that apply to kites flown by Gaza terrorists must be the same as those that apply to a rocket fired at Ashkelon. Israel must use a fist of steel against these terrorists.”

Shaked met with residents, who complained that the kite terror has made their lives very difficult. Officials in the defense establishment in recent weeks have said that the terror posed by the kites and balloons is “better” than the threat of missiles and rockets fired by Gaza terrorists, as the former were unlikely to cause any deaths. But residents said that the current situation was just as difficult. “Even a simple everyday task like taking the dog for a walk has become impossible,” a resident of one of the border teams told Shaked. “The government must do something about this.”

Shaked added that the residents of the area were “strong and determined. It’s a fact that the number of residents of the regional councils in this area has grown significantly since the end of Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Farmer work their land, despite the fires. We as a government must do whatever we can. Agriculture is not just another economic sector, but a basic value of the building of the land,” she added.