Several small protests were noted on Tuesday on the ‎Israel-Gaza border as the Palestinians marked ‎“Naksa Day,” which mourns the Arab defeat in the 1967 ‎Six-Day War. ‎

Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the coastal ‎enclave, had originally called for a mass rush of the ‎Israeli border, but early on Tuesday morning its ‎leaders called on Gazans to “save their energy” for ‎Friday—the last Friday of the Ramadan holiday, ‎which this year coincided with Iran Quds (“Jerusalem”) ‎Day.‎

Defense officials said the move is an attempt ‎by Hamas to show Iran that the Islamist group serves ‎Tehran’s interests in a bid to increase Iran’s ‎financial support of it.‎

Hamas rival in Gaza, Islamic Jihad, does the ‎majority of Iran’s bidding in Gaza. For ‎example, the defense establishment believes that ‎Iran had ordered Islamic Jihad to carry out the ‎mortar salvo on Israel last week, during which more than ‎‎130 projectiles were fired at border-adjacent ‎communities.

Hamas’s decision also appears to stem from its own ‎distress, as all signs are pointing to it rapidly ‎losing the support of Gaza’s residents. ‎

Still, Israeli defense officials believe that despite ‎Hamas’s strategic distress, provoking a security ‎escalation opposite Israel does not serve its ‎interest at this time. This distress may also drive ‎its leaders to agree to compromises they would ‎otherwise not consider. ‎

Last week’s mortar barrage, however, undermined the ‎understandings reached between Israel and Hamas ‎following “Operation Protective Edge” in 2014, and the ‎military is ready for any rapid escalation in the Gaza ‎sector. ‎

Meanwhile, Palestinian kite terrorism continued to ‎rage Tuesday, as 15 fires were sparked by incendiary ‎kites sent over the Israel-Gaza border.

More than 350 fires ‎have been ‎sparked in Israeli ‎communities near the ‎border since the ‎Palestinians ‎launched their ‎incendiary kites‎ ‎campaign in late ‎‎April, reducing some 7,000 acres of forest and ‎agricultural ‎land into ‎ash, and causing tens of ‎millions of ‎shekels in ‎damage.‎

The massive damage to the area’s nature reserves has ‎prompted the Jewish National Fund to announced plans ‎to pursue legal action against Hamas in ‎international courts. ‎

‎“The international community cannot allow Hamas to ‎get away with its heinous crimes, not only against ‎Israel but also against the environment. Hamas has ‎proven that it is indifferent not only to human life, but ‎also to nature’s resources,” said JNF director Daniel ‎Atar. ‎

Israeli farmers whose lands have been ‎devastated by these fires announced plans last month to seek ‎International Criminal Court ‎action against Hamas‏ ‏‏leaders Ismail Haniyeh and ‎Yahya Sinwar over the ‎damage caused by kite terrorism. ‎ ‎

Source » jns