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Parents in Gaza have been urged to stop their children from flying kites after Israel threatened stronger military action and expanded attacks on the enclave, alleging that Hamas was behind kites crossing into Israeli territory.
The popular committees, which represent local nongovernmental groups and charities running displacement camps and shelters, issued the warning late Monday. A Hamas source reportedly said the move was coordinated with Hamas authorities.
“We are working tirelessly on the ground and doing everything possible to stop this practice,” the committees said, adding that the aim was to protect children rather than restrict their ability to play.
Several kites, none reported to be carrying incendiary materials, have drifted from Gaza into Israel over the past month, alarming residents of nearby Israeli communities attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that those responsible for launching kites, balloons or drones toward Israel could be targeted for assassination and that areas used for launches could be ordered to evacuate.
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz held a security meeting with military chief Eyal Zamir and senior commanders. Katz said he considered the kite launches an act of war and instructed the army to respond forcefully.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that the military had received authorization to expand attacks across Gaza after kites continued to be flown despite warnings. An Israeli security official said Washington had been informed in advance.
Israel also raised the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which oversees implementation of the 2025 Gaza ceasefire deal.
A senior Israeli defense official reportedly told Reuters that Hamas was encouraging the launches to provoke Israel. Hamas denied the claim, saying children were flying the kites and accusing Israel of using them as a pretext to continue attacks.
Israeli forces carried out attacks Tuesday in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and the Bureij refugee camp.
Three Palestinians, including a child, were killed, while the child’s mother and sibling were wounded. KAN said the Israeli military claimed it was targeting Hamas ammunition depots.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem called on the U.S., mediators, guarantor states and the U.N. Security Council to pressure Israel to stop the attacks and what he described as efforts to undermine the ceasefire.
Umm Mohammed, a Gaza City mother, reportedly told Reuters she would no longer allow her 10-year-old son Ahmed to fly kites.
“Every summer, my kid, Ahmed, 10, and the kids in the street fly those kites to entertain themselves, but I will not allow him to, not anymore,” she said.
Gaza resident Abu Mohammed Raid said children had little left to play with amid destruction and displacement.
“These kites are toys that allow children to breathe. They have nothing else left to play with,” he said.
In 2018, Palestinians in Gaza launched incendiary balloons and kites across the border, causing fires across hundreds of acres of fields and farmland. The latest kites have not been reported to carry incendiary materials.
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