Israel threatens Gaza air strikes and evacuations over kite launches

Israel is using children’s kites as pretext to strike Gaza: Hamas Hamas said Israel is fabricating a pretext to intensify attacks on Gaza, after Israel threatened broad evacuations and air assaults if paper kites from the Strip continued to be launched. Earlier on Sunday, a statement by Netanyahu's office said Israel gave Hamas a three-day deadline to halt the kite launches. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem responded with a statement on the group's website later on Sunday that this move amounts to "threatening children." He called on the United States, the UN Security Council, and mediating states to pressure Israel into halting what he described as an attempt to undermine a ceasefire.

Israel warns of strikes, evacuations over kites launched by Palestinian children in Gaza Submitted by Ayse Betul Aytekin on Sun, 08/23/2026 - 19:51 Israeli officials hold a special security meeting over Gaza's paper kites, warning they would be treated as drones. Boys fly a kite against the backdrop of smoke rising from a shelter that houses displaced Palestinians, after an Israeli air strike in the west of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, 31 January 2026 (Bashar Taleb / AFP) Off Kites flown by Palestinian children in Gaza are now being cited by the Israeli military as justification for further strikes and displacement across the Strip. Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Sunday that Israel gave Hamas a three-day deadline to halt the kite launches, threatening a broad air assault if they continued, and said it would evacuate areas of Gaza from which balloons, drones and paper kites are launched. Over the weekend, Israeli media reported that several kites, believed to have been launched from Gaza, had landed near Nahal Oz Kibbutz, an illegal Israeli settlement adjacent to Gaza. Israeli military sources said the kites were being launched by Palestinian children, noting that no suspicious materials were found on any of them and that they posed no danger to the public. But residents of the kibbutz complained, saying kites should not be dismissed as "isolated" or harmless incidents. "We will not accept a policy of containment when it comes to our security," they said in a statement. Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz held a special meeting on Sunday with the Israeli military chief of staff, the head of the National Security Council, and other officials, regarding the kites. Katz said he had directed Israeli forces to respond "forcefully" to the launches and to take steps to stop them, classifying them as an "act of war" and treating them the same as drones. The measures, he said, would include targeting Hamas commanders "responsible for the launches." "A balloon is like a kite, and a kite is like a drone, whether it carries explosives or not," he added. Over the years of Israel's siege on Gaza, which started in 2007, the kite has become a symbol of freedom for Palestinians, especially children, in the Strip. In 2010, thousands of Palestinian children flew kites on Gaza's beach as part of UNRWA's Summer Games, setting a new world record for the most kites flown simultaneously. A total of 6,302 kites, made by the children themselves, were hoisted into the air. Throughout the years, it has remained popular among Palestinians in Gaza to make their own kites and fly them, even as they themselves have found no way beyond the walls enclosing the besieged enclave. Gaza Siege News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Israel threatens to intensify Gaza strikes, displace more Palestinians over kite launches Israel warned Hamas it would intensify strikes in Gaza if drones, balloons and kites continue to be launched from the Strip toward Israeli settlements, Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Sunday. Over the weekend, Israeli media reported that several kites, believed to be launched from Gaza, had landed near Israeli settlements adjacent to Gaza, noting that they were not carrying explosives and posed no danger. Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz held a meeting on Sunday with the Israeli military chief of staff, the head of the National Security Council and other officials, according to Haaretz. Katz said that he had directed Israeli forces to respond "forcefully" to the launching of kites, balloons and drones from Gaza, and to take steps to stop them. The measures, Katz said, would include targeting Hamas commanders “responsible for the launches” and displacing residents from neighbourhoods where the kites were launched. “A balloon is like a kite, and a kite is like a drone, whether it carries explosives or not,” he added.