March 4, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A swarm of locusts that descended on Egypt has begun to cross into southern Israel.

A small swarm of the destructive cousin to the grasshopper was discovered Monday in the Ramat Hanegev region near the border with Egypt. They are expected to be exterminated Monday night or early Tuesday morning, Ynet reported.

A black cloud of more than 30 million locusts swarmed over parts of Egypt including Cairo and Giza beginning on Saturday, causing millions of dollars worth of damage, according to Egyptian Agricultural Minister Salah Abad Almoman.

A hotline was set up in Israel for farmers to call if they see signs of locust infestation. 

The locust attack comes some three weeks before the start of Passover, which recalls a destructive plague of locusts, one of the 10 plagues that the Bible says was sent by God in order to free the Jewish slaves. 

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