Azernews.Az

Akbar Novruz

Read more

Israel has warned Hamas that it could intensify military strikes and displacement operations in Gaza over the launch of kites toward Israeli settlements, with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz describing the kites as an “act of war.”

According to a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday, Israel warned Hamas that continued kite launches from Gaza would result in expanded military action.

Israeli authorities reportedly gave Hamas a three-day deadline to halt the launches and threatened a broader air campaign if they continued. Israel also said it would evacuate areas of Gaza from which balloons, drones and paper kites are launched.

The warnings followed reports in Israeli media that several kites believed to have been launched from Gaza had landed near Nahal Oz, an Israeli community adjacent to the Strip.

Israeli military sources said the kites appeared to have been launched by Palestinian children and that no suspicious materials were found on them. The sources also said the kites posed no danger to the public.

Residents of Nahal Oz nevertheless called for a stronger response, arguing that the incidents should not be treated as isolated or harmless.

“We will not accept a policy of containment when it comes to our security,” they said in a statement.

Netanyahu and Katz subsequently held a meeting with Israel’s military chief of staff, the head of the National Security Council and other senior officials to discuss the launches.

Katz said he had ordered Israeli forces to respond “forcefully” and take measures to prevent further launches. He classified the kites as an “act of war” and said they should be treated in the same manner as drones.

“A balloon is like a kite, and a kite is like a drone, whether it carries explosives or not,” Katz said, adding that the measures could include targeting Hamas commanders allegedly responsible for the launches.

The development has drawn attention because of the symbolic significance of kites in Gaza, where they have long been associated with childhood, freedom and resistance amid Israel’s prolonged blockade of the territory.

In 2010, thousands of Palestinian children participated in UNRWA’s Summer Games in Gaza, flying 6,302 handmade kites simultaneously in an event that set a world record at the time.