Not child’s play

Regarding “The toy that’s wreaking havoc on the South (June 5), the case Israel ought to make about what has been going on in Gaza is that Hamas is experimenting with new tactics to attain its goal of infiltrating Israel to kill and/or kidnap Jews and cause as much damage as possible.

Iron Dome has reduced the utility of rockets and apparently Israel has figured out how to find the tunnels. Incendiary kites and balloons are achieving Hamas’s ends for now, but they don’t look like an insuperable technical challenge.

If they can’t go over or under the barrier, they have to try to go through it, so we have to cope with a literal smoke screen designed to enable direct attacks on the barrier.

As long as Hamas’s objective remains unchanged, it will keep trying new tactics. If the international community wants to see an end to civilian deaths, its best strategy is to constrain Hamas and the related terrorist groups.

YALE ZUSSMAN

Framingham, MA

The decision for our Air Force to continue bombing terrorist targets is not working. Hitting empty buildings, even though the military calls them “hard targets,” just doesn’t do it.

Firebombs delivered by kites and helium balloons delivering are causing extensive damage to kibbutz fields and nature reserves that will take years to recover from. Compensation to the kibbutzim must be 100% to cover current damage as well as losses if they are unable to plant future crops.

Deterrence for me is immediately taking out the terrorists who are deploying the kites upon spotting them by drones or helicopters, despite the cost of keeping drones and helicopters in the air along the length of the border. Unless our government decides on total warfare until unconditional surrender by all the terrorists in Gaza, I see no end to the tit-for-tat scenario. It has been going on for years. The IDF pays a heavier price every time we try to finish the job, but the EU, UN and even the US in the past have curtailed us.

We need to take out Gaza terrorist mortar sites so people in the area can live without constant threats, never knowing when the next siren will be sounded. I know, as I have lived in the North for more than 40 years and have felt the terror of the unknown from Iraqi scuds to Hezbollah Katushas – not as often as our citizens in the South, but the memories are there, as well as the fear of what might be in the future.

MURRAY JOSEPH

Kiryat Motzkin The simple answer to Susan Rolef’s question (“Israel and Europe – what has gone wrong,” June 4) is that largely due to an influx of Muslim refugees to various European countries, antisemitism rises to the fore there at every opportunity.

We have every right to be “pissed off” with these nations that latch onto fake news at the drop of a hat (or at the drop of an arson kite). Stop apologizing. We are protecting our border and those that attack it do so at their peril.

Unless Hamas accepts the Jewish State of Israel, rejects violence and develops a plan to build a secure future for their people with the billions of aid dollars that they receive, violence instigated by them will no doubt continue. Meanwhile, we must remain strong and steadfast.

STEPHEN VISHNICK

Tel Aviv

The Israeli army needs to be proactive and disseminate non-confidential operational information in real time to inform the media of the facts on the ground. Unfortunately, Hamas spreads false rumors about an operation and the Israeli government is playing catch up to dispel the media lies. Fake news is always hard to undo.

CHANAN COHEN

Teaneck, NJ