Alongside mass demonstrations near the Gaza-Israel border fence, Palestinian activists have been lighting paper kites on fire and launching them into the air. The kites, swept by the warm wind, cross the border fence from above and set fire to Israeli fields and crops.
Several hours before setting off for Europe on June 4, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on social media that he had instructed his national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat to start proceedings against the Palestinian Authority (PA) for damages caused by the fire kites from Gaza. Specifically, Israel would deduct the damages from tax revenues it collects for the PA and use the money to compensate Israeli farmers whose fields have been burned in the recent wave of airborne arson attacks.