כיבוי השריפה
כיבוי השריפהצילום: ללא קרדיט

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כיבוי השריפותצילום: ללא קרדיט

Arab rioters from the village of Burqa in Samaria on Friday lit fires in several locations which began to spread toward homes in the Oz Zion hilltop community.

Residents and volunteers from the area who rushed to the scene battled the flames and managed to extinguish the fire before it reached the homes.

According to the residents, the arsonists left the mosque in Burqa where hundreds of Arabs gathered ahead of Friday prayers. The residents added that every Friday the prayers at the mosque act as a center for incitement against the Jewish communities in the area, with an emphasis on Oz Tzion. There were several instances where masses went from the mosque directly to violent riots against the community.

Since the onset of the war in Gaza arson cases in Samaria have sharply increased, reaching an extraordinary number in May, and the numbers continue to climb.

May saw a 100% spike in arson cases when compared to the previous year: 40 cases, compared to 21 last year.

Among other locations, the Mount Kabir nature reserve, a rare nature reserve that houses an ancient 700-year-old tree was torched twice. The fires nearly reached the ancient tree and almost burned it completely. Other than Har Kabir, there have been arson cases in the Shilo Wadi, Yizhar, the hills of Itamar, and more.