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Scene. Published by Maan News
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TEL AVIV (Ma'an) -- Over 300 residents from the Israeli border communities surrounding Gaza participated in a demonstration on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, demanding protection in light of the continued escalation along the border with the besieged Gaza Strip.

The demonstration began at Rabin Square, in Tel Aviv, with protesters then making their way on Ibn Gabirol Street toward Rokach Boulevard in protest against the current security situation.

The protesters proceeded while sounding warning whistles and dropping to the ground as they have been recently experiencing when a real siren is sounded and were seen carrying signs reading “The south is on fire” and “We're tired of burned fields and weeping children.”

Fake incendiary balloons were set off by the protesters as a symbol of the hundreds of fires caused due to incendiary kites and balloons, which scorched thousands of acres of land and are continuously being launched from Gaza towards southern Israel.

Throughout the demonstration, protesters called out “Bibi, Bibi, wake up, the south is burning,” referring to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his nickname.

The demonstration’s Facebook page stated that the residents would no longer remain silent and that “The residents of the south continue to raise their voice, and invite all of Israel’s citizens to express sympathy with the intolerable situation in the south and join the protest!”

One of the organizers, Alona Brown, said “We're protesting because of the lack of security. We demand to have our sense of security restored.”

Brown continued “We realized that if we didn't protest this lack of security policy, the (Israeli) government intends to leave us this way.”

A protester, Yonatan Shamriz, stressed that “The problem is not with the Gaza border communities, it's the government that has been neglecting the citizens in the area for 17 years.”

A week ago, the residents of the Israeli border communities surrounding Gaza, launched a similar demonstration against the Israeli government, demanding it to act against the increasing violence in southern Israel.

The video below shows residents of the Israeli border communities protesting the security situation: [see video link above]