Maariv Hebrew newspaper showed that more than 1100 fires have been reported in Israeli communities along Gaza borders since the start of the Great March of Return in late March.
The fires have burned nearly 12000 dunums (120 hectares) of land near the Gaza Strip more than half of the 22000 dunums (2200 hectares) of forested land in the region.
Palestinian protesters have started using flaming objects attached to kites to set fire to agricultural land just over the Gaza border in response of Israel’s tightening restrictions on Gaza.
Beginning in late March Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since have been protesting on a daily basis along the border fence to call for lifting the blockade on the coastal enclave and allowing refugees to return to their lands from which they were expelled in 1948.
So far over 200 protesters including women and children have been killed by the Israeli army and nearly 20000 injured.
