Why are balloons tied to explosives the last flashpoint of tensions between Israel and Hamas?

Former finance minister Israel Katz, who was in the cabinet during the most recent conflict with Gaza last month, said that after this operation “we decided to change the rules”.

This is what we know about balloons and how they play to current tensions.

What are incendiary balloons?

They’re relatively simple artifacts – helium balloons that often look like children’s birthday party decorations, attached to explosives or devices that light up preventively.

The militants launch balloons from Gaza and the winds of the Mediterranean Sea help push them into Israeli territory.

What are they designed to do?

According to the Israeli Parks and Nature Reserves Authority, these fires have burned more than 3,657 acres in the area surrounding Gaza from 2018 to May 25, 2021. Israeli authorities say the fires have destroyed thousands of acres of crops.

Since 2018, more than 10,400 hectares have been burned in Israel due to flying incendiary devices, not including Tuesday’s fires, a spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces said.

So far the authorities have not reported any casualties for these incendiary devices.

Why this time balloons instead of rockets?

Balloons are a cheap way for Gaza militant groups to send a message to Israel, without provoking the full Israeli military retaliation that often occurs when rockets are fired from the coastal enclave.

Balloons are easy to build and require little setup for launch, compared to time-consuming and time-consuming rockets. To date, balloons rarely cause injury.

Tuesday’s balloons probably floated in response to the Israeli government’s decision to allow a provocative march with a right-wing flag in Jerusalem.

The flag march is an annual parade where mostly Jewish nationalist groups walk through the Old City of Jerusalem carrying Israeli flags to celebrate Israel gaining control of the Western Wall during the 1967 Six Day War. with Palestinian residents of the Old City.

On Tuesday, 33 Palestinian protesters were injured, including a stun grenade, rubber bullets and live fire – with six evacuated to the hospital – following clashes with Israeli security forces around East Jerusalem. say the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

Where is Israel’s new leader on the balloons?

After 11 days of conflict last month, Israeli officials indicated that acts such as incendiary balloons would be felt more strongly, which seems to be happening now.