An Israeli startup has joined the fight against global warming by seeking inspiration in the upper atmosphere, where it hopes to send fleets of balloons that will trap carbon dioxide for recycling.

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Carbon dioxide emissions, from the burning of fossil fuels and from industrial agriculture, are the main cause of climate change. But removing CO2 from the atmosphere at standard temperatures requires too much energy for governments and companies to consider it cost-effective.

High Hopes Labs developed a system that captures the carbon where it has almost solidified, far above the Earth.

"The beautiful thing is that capturing gas is very easy when it's close to freezing...," CEO Nadav Mansdorf told Reuters.

"Carbon is freezing in minus 80 degrees (Celsius) and the only place that we can find carbon in a temperature close to that, is 15 kilometers (nine miles) above our heads."

The company has tested its system on a small scale, Mansdorf says, releasing gas-filled balloons with a box that serves as a carbon-capture device attached underneath.

The frozen carbon is then separated from the air to be brought back to earth and can be recycled.

The company aims to build larger balloons within two years that could each be deployed to remove a ton of carbon a day at a cost below $100, much less than comparable on-ground facilities currently in use, Mansdorf said.

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Israeli warplanes struck several targets in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced early Monday, saying it was responding to the launches of incendiary balloons that caused at least three blazes in southern Israel.

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The IDF said it had struck a Hamas military infrastructure including a base with several structures. It said the base was near civilian areas that included a school but gave no further details. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

شاهد| لحظة قصف طيران الاحتلال لموقع شرق خانيونس.#فلسطين pic.twitter.com/hfOPfaZrwG

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) July 25, 2021

The airstrike came several hours after the incendiary balloons were launched into Israel by Hamas-affiliated terrorists. Photos and video posted on social media showed them launching the balloons into Israel. On one of them was written the message: "Time is running out."

Arab social media outlets also showed videos of Hamas terrorists in Gaza firing rifles into the air at IDF aircraft. It was also reported that an IDF drone crash-landed inside Gaza.

Arab outlets also reported Israeli strikes in eastern Khan Yunis in southern Gaza and attacked an open field in the al-Sudaniya area.

Israeli media reported at least three fires set in southern Israel, breaking a three-week lull in Hamas' cross-border arson campaign.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has compared the incendiary balloons to rocket fire and has ordered airstrikes following previous instances as well.

In an initial response, the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories unit, the Israeli defense body that oversees Palestinian civilian affairs, announced Sunday that Israel was cutting the fishing zone for Gazan fishermen in half, from 12 nautical miles to six nautical miles. Reducing the fishing area is a common Israeli response to attacks emanating from Gaza.

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Israeli jets destroyed Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Thursday, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said early Friday.

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The IDF said the attack was in response to incendiary balloons launched into southern Israel earlier on Thursday, which caused at least four fires.

The airstrike hit several sites Hamas used to manufacture weapons, the military said, warning that the IDF will respond to any aggression.

The army also posted video footage of the strike to Twitter.

תיעוד לתקיפת צה"ל, הלילה ברצועת עזה >> pic.twitter.com/4cflD8uLDD

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 2, 2021

"Warplanes attacked a weapons manufacturing site belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization," the IDF said. "The components that were targeted were used by Hamas for research and weapons development."

Earlier Thursday night, Palestinian news outlets reported that the air force attacked terrorist targets south of Gaza City.

As stated, incendiary balloons caused at least four fires in the Eshkol region of southern Israel on Thursday – the latest violation in a fragile ceasefire struck between Israel and Hamas. The fires were relatively minor and firefighting crews were able to extinguish them with no damage to property.

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Residents of the western Negev had their night's sleep disrupted four times overnight Thursday by sirens. According to the IDF, the sirens were triggered by "non-rocket" fire from the Gaza Strip.

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The overnight incidents came after heavy IDF strikes targeting Hamas rocket launching sites and other military infrastructure. During the strikes, the IDF employed its early warning protocol. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the strikes, which could be heard from Gaza City.

Surveillance camera footage obtained by The Associated Press showed what appeared to be heavy machine-gun fire into the air from Gaza, a possible attempt by Palestinian militants to shoot down aircraft. Other footage showed projectiles being fired from Gaza, but it was unclear what kind or where they landed.

Fearing another escalation, some members of Egypt's intelligence apparatus who were in Gaza have left.

Earlier Thursday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi held a situation assessment in which he issued instructions for the military to increase its alert level and prepare for various scenarios, including a possible resumption of hostilities.

The IDF issued a statement saying: "We will continue to destroy the capabilities and the military infrastructure of the Hamas terrorist organization, which is responsible for what happens in Gaza."

All this took place after Gaza-based terrorists spent a third day testing the shaky truce reached after Operation Guardian of the Walls by sending explosives-laden balloons across the border.

Five fires were reported in the area as a result of this provocation. They were quickly contained by the Israel Fire and Rescue Service with the help of Israel Defense Forces officials and Jewish National Fund rangers.

The Diplomatic-Security Cabinet is to convene on Sunday in order to deliberate on the latest developments. This week the fires from incendiary balloons led to Israeli airstrikes and on Wednesday, a senior security official told Israel Hayom that Israel has warned Hamas through the Egyptian brokers that if the balloon terrorism continues Israel "would not be able to move forward in the ceasefire talks and will respond even more forcefully."

The source further said, "things will not stay the same." Hamas has also sent a message to Israel, according to Lebanese media reported on Wednesday, warning that it would continue with provocations unless Israel eases various restrictions and allows more foreign funding to enter their coffers.

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As violence raged in Jerusalem throughout the weekend, arson balloons released over the Gaza border fence toward southern Israel caused at least four fires in the western Negev on Saturday.

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The Southern District of Israel's Fire and Rescue Services reported that its personnel, along with the JNF, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, and local volunteers, had been battling fires at a few locations in the Eshkol Regional Council and gotten the flames under control.

"Most of the fires were small and not dangerous. A wheat field in the Eshkol Regional Council was damaged," the Fire and Rescue Services reported.

Video: Newsenders

Saturday marked the third day straight that arson balloons flown over the border by terrorist factions in Gaza had caused fires in the western Negev.

On Friday afternoon, balloons caused eight separate fires, and on Friday evening another fire was reported near Kibbutz Sa'ad. Seven fires caused by arson balloons from Gaza were reported on Thursday.

Security officials in the western Negev say the balloon attacks are linked to the ongoing tension in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, and call the attacks an attempt to "light up the area."

Meanwhile, explosives-laden balloons weren't the only things that terrorist operatives in Gaza were sending toward Israel. The IDF confirmed that a rocket was fired at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip overnight between Saturday and Sunday, triggering an alert in open areas. No injuries or damage were reported. Local residents said they heard the rocket explode when it landed.

In response to the attack, IDF aircraft carried out strikes against Hamas targets in southern Gaza.

Earlier Saturday, Palestinians in Gaza rioted near the border fence, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at the border and at Israeli security troops, who used crowd deployment tactics. A few Palestinians were wounded.

Hamas said that it would activate its "nighttime disruption units" – operatives who deliberately set off alerts, keeping residents of western Negev communities running to shelters during the night – as a response to the wave of violence in Jerusalem.

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The blades of light have intercepted 150 arson balloons. The system's sensors identity targets, follow their motion, and shoot a focused laser at them until the balloons explode without having reached Israeli airspace.

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Israel's only Light Blade system to date covers only a small part of the Gaza Strip, and while it's interception rate stands at close to 100%, Palestinians in other parts of Gaza continue to send balloons carrying explosives, Molotov cocktails, and sometimes grenades over the border fence. The prevailing wind carries them into the western Negev.

IDF soldiers deployed near the border intercept some of the balloons, but most land, causing wildfires – sometimes, several dozen in a single day. The fires have burned tens of thousands of acres of open land, nature reserves, parks, and fields.

The Light Blade system, developed by the Israeli firm OptiDefense, the Israel Police, and the Defense Ministry, was first used this past February and scored dozens of interceptions.

Border Police Sgt. Maj. Meni Shalom, one of the Light Blade operators, said that "every interception is a relief."

"I'm frustrated when a balloon changes its location because of the wind and leaves our sector. The ramifications are painful. Civilians could be hurt. Even though it looks like a computer game, it takes patience, concentration, and coordination to operate the system. In a second, you could see 15 balloons in front of you at once, and in seconds you need to decide which of them could be the first to cross the fence," Shalom said.

Dr. Udi Ben-Ami, a laser expert and founder of OptiDefense, and Professor Amiel Ishaaya, Deputy Dean of the Engineering Faculty at Ben-Gurion University, came up with the idea for the laser interceptor.

"The idea arose from Zionism," the researchers say.

"It pained us to see the fields burning and to hear about the farmers' distress. We checked with friends in the defense establishment, and it turned out that there was no practical, quick solution available," they say.

While plenty of defense and security officials expressed doubt about the project, commander of the Border Police, Deputy Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, saw its potential.

"The advantage of Light Blade, unlike other similar systems in the world, is its special laser that does not interfere with airspace and does not bother pilots," Shabtai explained.

"The system was built over the course of eight months, and how it has proved itself above and beyond. We are operating it in conjunction with the IDF, and I hope that the defense establishment will soon purchase additional systems," Shabtai said.

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