As Israel and Gaza approach the one-year anniversary of the weekly Friday protests, which began last year on March 30th, another round of major protesting is expected this week at the border. This week’s protest follows a flareup of tensions and violence in the southern area after Hamas once again broke the truce by launching rockets against Israel.

Residents on the Israeli side of the fence are bracing for the renewal of the protests and a small group is planning on holding a counter protest. However, some of the residents are leaving for the weekend. Some towns have organized group trips for residents to give them some rest and relaxation.

The protest is supposed to begin on Shabbos afternoon and many of the Gaza residents are being brought to the fence with Hamas’ support. The main purpose of the protests is, among other things, attempting to bring down the naval blockade in the Meditteranean.

One resident who is heading away for the weekend said “We want our children to be far away from this. For the past year, Fridays here have been very difficult. There have been a lot of explosions and noise due to the weekly protests. This time, due to all of the preparations being conducted by the military, we have decided that the area will be very tense. We want to head away from the situation and just breathe for a bit, all of us together as a community, and to return after the fighting is over. This is the safest path for us all. It allows the IDF to do what they need to do while giving us peace of mind.

The IDF began preparations for these protests since the beginning of the week. According to Israel media, the protests will take place at five different locations along the border.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)