HAMAS CANCELS SCHOOL, SENDS KIDS TO VIOLENT BORDER RIOTS

By Aryeh Savir, TPS and United with Israel Staff

IDF intelligence has confirmed that the Hamas terror organization, which rules the Gaza Strip, has canceled schools in Gaza on Wednesday – Nakba Day – and instead sent children to participate in the violent riots against Israel on the Israel-Gaza border fence.

Hamas distributed the message at 2:19 pm local time via radio stations, TV stations and on Twitter.

Anti-Israel activists mark Nakba Day on May 15, the date on which Israel declared its independence in 1948 – a historic event which they perceive as a “catastrophe.” Israeli forces have been on high alert, while the IDF has deployed Iron Dome defense systems throughout the country.

The terror groups called on millions to arrive at the border fence.

During the hours of the riots, which began in the afternoon, weather in Gaza was, as expected, very hot – around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Muslims are marking the month of Ramadan, during which they fast throughout the day.

“This heat is a danger to children, who are susceptible to dehydration and heat stroke. We call on Hamas to keep their children in school and not endanger them at the riots,” the IDF stated.

The Nakba events were planned for after prayers at the mosques. Hamas organized transportation for tens of thousands who were pushed to march on Israel’s border.

Hamas and other terror groups have been working hard to promote the violent protests through social media and have produced clips and songs, including those directly threatening the Eurovision song contest in Tel Aviv slated for Saturday night.

Islamic Jihad warned that it will attack Israel with rockets if the IDF harms the rioters.

The possibility of human losses was predicted to be high. Last year, 62 Gazans were killed in violence on the Gaza border on Nakba Day, which also protested the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

10,000 Rioters Burn Tires, Throw Rocks

By late afternoon, an IDF spokesperson announced that some 10,000 rioters from Gaza were burning tires and throwing rocks at several locations along the border fence and that attempts have been made to inflitrate Israeli territory.

There were reports of several injuries among the rioters as well as one fatality. Fires have also broken out near Israeli communities in close proximity to the Strip, apparently ignited by arson balloons launched by Gaza terrorists.

The Hamas-led weekly Gaza border riots, the so-called “Marches of Return,” have been taking place for over a year, since March 30, 2018. Since then, some 2,200 terror-related incidents have been recorded, including 18 involving gunfire, 94 explosive devices and 600 Molotov cocktail attacks.

Violent attacks on the border claimed the life of an IDF soldier; 16 others were wounded.

Gazan sources say that more than 250 civilians, including many children, were killed and tens of thousands were wounded during the violence. However, the IDF proved, and the Hamas leadership has admitted, that the majority of Palestinians killed at the border were affiliated with terrorist groups.