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The destruction in the south is monstrous. Where is the outrage from all the environmentalist groups? These fires have serious consequences.

100 days! Yes, you read correctly. This past Shabbat was 100 days Hamas has been flying kites and balloons with molotov firebombs attached and burning the land in the south of Israel.

Kites and balloons. Children’s toys have become weapons of mass destruction.

678 fires, thousands of dunams [we don’t measure in acres in Israel] of land have been burnt. The conversion is 1 dunam equals 0.247105 acres. Forests and nature parks are badly burnt. Animals have been killed in the most torturous way..burned alive. Once again I ask..where is Peta?

The costs are in the billions.

The destruction is monstrous. Where is the outrage from all the environmentalist groups? These fires have serious consequences.

It’s Hard to Breathe

Last week, a machine was set up by the government to check the air quality in Otef Aza [Gaza belt] because residents are complaining they can’t breathe. Infants, children and the elderly are at risks.

Medical costs are going to soar because of lung diseases. Asthmatics are having a very hard time breathing. Particles in the air cause bronchitis and pneumonia. Heart patients have to be monitored more often.

It is not just the fact that the land is burnt. Hamas is waging economic terrorism against us.

The south has a lot of wheat fields. And from wheat we get flour. With very little wheat available every product that requires wheat is going to be more expensive. From bread, to cakes, to pasta and so forth. Where will we get the wheat that we are short? My guess it will need to be imported. That means higher prices. Just imagine what matza is going to cost.

Livelihoods at Stake

Rosh Hashana is just around the corner. Yad Mordechai is one of the largest honey producers. Many of their bee hives have been burnt. We are already being told that there will be a shortage of honey for Rosh Hashana.

And the vegetables that we grow for domestic use and exports. Some farmers are trying to harvest whatever crops they have left. We have a farmer near us that has sheep and goats. He grows hay for his animals so that they will have food for the winter months. We saw him harvesting his fields day and night.

Some farmers have lost their parnassa [livelihood]. And the people they employ, Israelis and foreign workers, have also lost their parnassa.

The citizens of the south have had enough!

Article by Miriam Goodman

Miriam Goodman made Aliyah from Canada with her family in 1994. She lives in the Negev. She is the mother of three, the safta of 13 precious Sabra grandchildren and a great-grandmother. She is known for her 'Safta Cookies'. Writing is a hobby and she has a blog called Miriam's Words.