String of balloons near Gaza border is not explosive

Explosive balloons

An Israel Police sapper determined on Friday morning that a string of balloons carrying a suspicious object was not explosive or incendiary. Earlier, police units were called to the Ibim area in the Gaza border area after a number of residents reported seeing a string of balloons with a suspicious explosive attached, Ynet reporter for the South Matan Tzuri tweeted on Friday morning. The report was later confirmed by Israel Police.

This is the first report of an explosive balloon in the area since September when three fires broke out as a result of one. An investigator determined then that they were caused by incendiary balloons.

The report comes amid a week of high tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. Eleven lives have been claimed so far in a number of different terror attacks, and Israel has launched a security operation dubbed “Break the Wave” to curb any attacks and heighten security ahead of Ramadan.

Israeli soldiers and rescue personnel at the scene of a stabbing attack by the Neve Daniel junction, near Jerusalem on March 31, 2022. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Gush Etzion stabbing attack

On Thursday, a civilian was stabbed on a bus with a screwdriver in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc by a Palestinian resident of Tarkumiya near Hebron. On Friday morning, Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem updated that his condition has improved – the man regained consciousness and is breathing on his own, Ynet reported.

Gantz calls up 300 reservists to Shin Bet for security operation

Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Friday morning issued a military directive to call up, on a volunteer basis, 300 reservists for the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) one day after Israel officially coined the current security operation ‘Break the Wave.

The reservists would be broken up into three platoons courtesy of the directive, which will be in effect for 30 days.

The order is an unusual one and comes in the wake of civilian terror attacks in cities in sovereign Israel. The intelligence community has been trying to avoid rising tensions in places like Gaza and the West Bank, especially ahead of Ramadan, which starts on Saturday.

Last year, tensions in Ramadan, particularly limitations placed on prayer accessibility to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem were one of the catalysts for the breakout of an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas, dubbed Operation Guardian of the Walls.