Israel warns Hamas over kite launches from Gaza

Israel warned Hamas on Sunday that it would intensify military operations in Gaza if launches of kites, drones and balloons towards Israel continue, following a recent increase in such incidents. Hamas denied responsibility for the launches.

Israeli media reported that four kites were found in communities near the Gaza border on Saturday, while the army shot down another on Sunday. Around 10 kites have been recovered in recent days, according to the reports.

The incidents have revived memories of waves of incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza in previous years that sparked fires in agricultural areas in southern Israel.

The Israeli military believes Hamas was behind the recent launches, which did not carry explosives, and may have been testing Israel’s response, according to Israeli media.

“Israel warns Hamas that if the launches towards Israel do not cease immediately, the IDF will take action to intensify targeted operations against those responsible ... and will evacuate the population from areas from which kites, drones and balloons are launched,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement.

They said they held a security assessment with senior military and security officials on Sunday to discuss the incidents.

Uri Epstein, a leader of Gaza border communities, many of which were attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023, told Channel 12 that residents would no longer accept assurances that “it will be OK”.

“The writing is in the sky, and it's the army's responsibility to act in time,” he said.

Hamas, however, denied responsibility for the launches.

Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said in a statement that the kites were “launched from Gaza by children searching for their innocent childhood amid the rubble”.

In a separate statement, Hamas accused Israel of using the kites as a “pretext” for airstrikes in central Gaza on Sunday. Gaza’s civil defence rescue service said three people were killed in the strikes.