Reports were swirling Thursday that Palestinians were preparing 5,000 kite and balloon bombs to launch from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory to mark the end of Ramadan, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Israel Defense Forces said they were prepared to "prevent their use," the news outlet reported — and Palestinians reported a drone launched a missile at people near the border fence who were flying balloons with Molotov cocktails attached.
According to the Jerusalem Post, unconfirmed reports by Israeli media claim Palestinians planned to launch 5,000 incendiary balloons and kites toward israel to mark Eid al-Fitr on Thursday night.
"It looks romantic – a small boy is flying a kite, something that seems to be from a movie like Mary Poppins – but the truth is different. These are terror attacks, with IEDs, which are trying to harm Israel," IDF Intelligence Directorate head Major Gen. Tamir Heyman said Wednesday at the International Homeland Security Forum in Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Gazans have been protesting at the border with Israel since March 30, tossing stones, Molotov cocktails and rocks toward Israeli troops and flying incendiary kites and balloons into Israeli territory, destroying more than 2,200 acres of forest and agricultural fields, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said Thursday that Israel has managed to intercept more than two-thirds of the kite bombs, but "It is impossible to hermetically seal the sky," the Jerusalem Post reported.
"But we are looking for solutions, and I am sure we will find a solution," he said, adding "the trick is to strengthen deterrence and prevent the launch itself."
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