Palestinians have used kites, balloons and condoms to launch incendiary devices into Israel in recent months. Now, Isreal claims they have used a bird.
According to an uncorroborated claim by the Israeli authorities, Gazans attached a device at the end of a steel wire to the talons of a falcon on Monday and launched it with the aim of flying the kestrel into Israeli territory.
If confirmed, it would represent the first time that Gazans had used an animal in an attempt to drop the burning devices on Israeli territory.
The Israeli Nature and Parks Authority say the bird was discovered dead in a tree near the border with the coastal enclave, which has been crippled through a wide economic siege since 2007.
There was no comment from Palestinian authorities in Gaza regarding the claims.
“Apparently it’s not enough to destroy nature with kites,” the Israel Defense Ministry unit that deals with the Palestinians tweeted. “Now falcons are being used for terror as well.”
The falcon was reportedly equipped with a harness, which suggested that it was a trained hunting bird. It was also found near a fire that the authorities said had started in the nearby Besor National Park.
The Israeli body said it is considering an international complaint about the alleged use of an animal for what it deemed as “terrorism”.
Animals have long played a role in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. In 2015, Hamas claimed to have captured a dolphin being used as an Israeli spy off of its coast. Other Arab foes of Israel have accused the country of using animals to spy. In 2010, Saudi Arabia said a vulture fitted with a GPS transmitter was an operative of the Mossad spy agency.
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Since March 30, when a series of weekly protests against Israeli crimes began in the territory, Palestinians began launching rags doused in fuel to flying devices. Israel says the kites and balloons have caused wide-scale damage, burning some 7,000 acres, to southern Israeli land as its military has been unable to prevent them crossing the border.
Israel’s has responded with force to the new tactic, conducting air strikes against “squads” it says are responsible for the low-cost devices being flown into Israel.
It has also cut off fuel deliveries into Gaza through the crossing it controls into the territory, a move that Gazan factions warned would have dire consequences for Israel. The enclave, which hosts around two million people, already has a severe fuel shortage and only receives around four hours of electricity per day.
In the protests, Israel killed more than 120 Palestinians, many who were peaceful and were located far from the enclave’s border fence with Israel. The Israeli military largely aimed at the lower limbs of protesters in a bid to maim them. Hospitals in the enclave reported many cases of paralysed and wounded protesters, some who will not be able to walk for months, even years.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Fixtures
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Contracted list
Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
