What kind of parent tells their child that they cannot play with balloons, kites, balls, or toy airplanes?
Either horrible, mean parents or loving, caring parents who happen to live in Israel near the Gaza Strip.
Why would caring parents instruct their children not to go near balloons, kites, and other toys? Because beginning in 2018, Palestinian terrorists began sending Gaza balloons and kites laden with explosives to harm Israelis, spark wild fires, and weaken Jewish morale.
Hamas has even established special units tasked with producing and launching them.
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The Simplicity of the Gaza Balloons
Literally thousands of hectares in southern Israel have been set ablaze by improvised incendiary devices from from Gaza. Many are made up of simple, commonly available balloons — made of rubber or latex, or even condoms — which are filled with helium. Then, burning rags or an explosive device are attached. Terror kites are made by simply tying several sticks together, covering them with a plastic sheet and attaching a mesh carrying fuel.
When the wind blows into Israel from Gaza, the balloons and kites are released. While most land in the vicinity of the Israel-Gaza border, one balloon landed in Beersheva, about 40 km from the Strip.
Some Gaza balloons have been designed to spark multiple fires by repeatedly drip fireballs as they float over Israel. Bomb disposal crews are frequently called to defuse explosives found attached to balloons and kites. In one incident, a rocket-propelled grenade warhead attached to balloons was found in a kibbutz field.
Between July and September 2018, Gaza balloons and kites sparked an average of 12 fires a day. The fires they triggered have caused terrible ecological damage to Israel – destroying over 6,000 acres of forests and farmland and killing massive amounts of wildlife. Experts say that the damage to the ecosystem will take a decade to repair.
‘We Want to Provoke the Israelis’
An 18-year-old Palestinian terrorist involved in these Gaza balloon attacks told ABC News Australia, “We want to provoke the Israelis more, so we attached a burning rag to the kite. Thanks to God’s will, the thread was cut and the kite fell on the other side and started a fire.”
He also told ABC that a kite costs just $1 to make and that balloons cost just 50 cents. That’s far cheaper than the Qassem rockets, which are said to cost Hamas $800 apiece to produce.
This young terrorist also told ABC that if they don’t cause 15 to 20 fires per day then “we don’t consider this a good day.”
Related reading: How Israelis Cope With the Gaza Rocket Threat
Protecting Israeli Children
Seeing the success of Gaza balloons in destroying property, the terrorists moved towards attaching explosives to colorful balloons and toys to hurt and kill Israeli children.
The situation has become so dangerous that the IDF Home Front Command felt the need to release a poem to protect children living near the Gaza Strip. The poem is called “What does the wind bring with it?” and includes the words: “Sometimes, the wind brings dangerous things with it which comes from over the fence. They are not mine and they are not a friend’s.” The poem instructs the children to run away and to call an adult if they find one of these items.
Where we are:
The IDF Home Front Command (specifically, Lt. Col. Tali Versano Eisman) made up a song to teach Israeli children to keep away from balloons because they could have bombs attached to them. pic.twitter.com/igNejN6cnN
— Judah Ari Gross (@JudahAriGross) February 7, 2020
The Israeli police also released a public service video for children. The video begins with children playing soccer. One of them accidentally kicks the ball over the fence of the playground and the ball lands next to a kite. One of the boys runs to get the ball, sees the kite, and does what every child would do – he reaches out for the kite. But then one of the girls yells at him, “Stop, Don’t touch it. It could be dangerous!” The boys keeps reaching for it and another boy screams, “get away from the kite!”
The video then switches to a police sapper who says, “Yes, it looks like a regular kite. But recently balloons, kites and drones have been flying in the air with dangerous items attached to them. “ He then instructs the children, “If you see a kite or any suspicious object, walk away from it right away, call and adult and dial 100 for the police.” He points to a bomb-disposal robot and concludes, “I and my robot Bambi will come to take care of it.” The children salute and reply, “Yessir!”
Solutions On the Horizon?
In some instances, the IDF has struck terrorists in the act of launching the explosives. Other measures are being explored to intercept airborne balloons and kites but solutions aren’t simple. Palestinians know that while colorful kites and balloons are more likely to attract the curiousity of an unsuspecting child, they are easy to spot in the air. Transparent condoms, on the other hand, are more difficult to spot in the blue sky.
The defense industry says that just like it developed technological solutions to shoot down rockets and detect terror tunnels, it will find a solution for this problem. Some Gaza balloons and kites of have been intercepted by IDF drones. And a promising new laser system called Light Blade is being tested.
Related reading: Israel’s Disproportionate Civil Defense
No children should ever have to be told that they cannot touch kites, balloons, balls and other toys for fear that they may explode.
Even more so, no human beings should be allowed to target innocent children in this manner. And anyone who sides with Hamas in the Gaza Strip is supporting just that.
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