Israel Warns of Forceful Response to Kites Flown from Gaza

Israel has warned Hamas that it will increase strikes on Gaza following concern over launches of kites, drones, and balloons from the territory, with Defence Minister Israel Katz stating that ‘forceful actions will be taken to put an end to this phenomenon’.

The warning comes after several kites were found in an Israeli community near the border with Gaza over the weekend, with local media reporting that the kites were not carrying explosives, but Israel believes Hamas was behind them.

• Four kites were found in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, about 800m from the Gaza border, on Friday and Saturday.
• Several more kites were found elsewhere in southern Israel last week, according to local media.
• Hamas has denied responsibility for the new kites, saying they belonged to children searching for their innocent childhood amid the rubble.
• The Israeli military said it believed Hamas was behind the kites and that they might have been intended to test Israel’s response.

Gaza Border Tensions

The Israeli reports cited military sources as saying that no suspicious materials were attached to the kites and they did not pose a threat, but Katz warned there would be ‘zero tolerance’ and said: ‘A balloon is treated like a kite, and a kite is treated like a drone, with or without explosives’.

Residents of Nahal Oz said in a statement that they feared the return of incendiary kites and balloons, adding: ‘We will not accept a policy of containment when it comes to our security’.

Hamas Response

Hamas warned of the danger of the allegations and threats from Israel and said the kites were ‘basically children’s toys from displacement camps’, with a spokesman for the group adding: ‘These threats are based on fabricated pretexts and are an attempt to justify the continuation of the aggression and violations against our people’.

Israeli Strikes in Gaza

On Sunday, Palestinian health officials said two people were killed and seven others injured in two Israeli strikes in Nuseirat refugee camp and the town of al-Zawayda, both in central Gaza, with the Israeli military saying it killed the commander of a Hamas weapons manufacturing site in the Maghazi area.

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