Six months have passed since the beginning of the terror attacks involving incendiary kites and balloons. Since that time, there has been a heavy environmental price due to the damage they have caused.

According to KKL-JNF figures, which has been on alert during the past half year, 11,920 dunams (2,980 acres) of forest and natural woodland have been set on fire in recent months.

The data also indicate that 1,053 fires were recorded in the forests surrounding Gaza. The forests that had the most fires was the Be’eri Forest with 452 fires and 3,616 dunam (904 acres) burned. This is followed by the Kissufim Forest with 353 fires and 5,202 dunam (1,300 acres) of forest burned, Shukda Forest with 75 fires, the Nachal Hanun forest with 31 fires and 311 dunam (77 acres) of forest burned, and Nachal BaBesor Forest 29 fires and 398 dunams (99 acres) of forest burned.

At the beginning of the week, the Eshkol Regional Council’s fire and security forces engaged in fire extinguishing operations of a large fire that raged near the greenhouses in Moshav Ein HaBesor in Eshkol. According to witnesses to the fire, this was the largest fire that broke out as a result of the explosion of a balloon bomb.

Sources in the moshav told the soldiers that the fire apparently broke out following the explosion of a number of incendiary balloons from Gaza into Israeli territory. They also said there was no danger to the settlement.

A resident of the settlement told Ynet that “a resident of the area saw a balloon bomb landing and within minutes the fire broke out and we tried to bring it under control, but since this is a very dry area, the fire simply spread. It was very dangerous.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)