The Israeli government has issued a warning about escalating “targeted strikes” on Gaza if Hamas fails to take measures to stop kites, including those flown by children, from crossing into Israeli territory.
In a statement shared on social media platform X on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that he and Defence Minister Israel Katz conducted a “situational assessment” that evening to address the “threat posed by drones, balloons, and kites launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel.”
Attending the meeting were Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, the chief of the general staff; the head of the National Security Council; along with senior officials from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
Netanyahu warned Hamas that should the launches continue without interruption, “the IDF will intensify targeted strikes against those accountable for these launches and will evacuate civilians from areas identified as launch sites for kites, drones, and balloons.”
“Israel will not permit the Hamas terrorist organization or any other entity in the Gaza Strip to endanger our communities again or undermine our citizens’ sense of security,” he emphasized.
For 13-year-old Omar Halawa, flying a kite along the shore in Khan Younis is his sole escape amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which governs Gaza.
“We fly kites to lift our spirits,” he told CBC freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife. “There is nothing left in Gaza that brings us joy.”
Omar mentioned that he creates kites himself, crafting the edges and the tail. He expressed awareness of Netanyahu’s warnings regarding kite-flying.
“We don’t use any missiles; we are just children,” he stated. “We don’t associate with Hamas; we merely want to live.”
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Prior to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which ignited the current war, Israel reported that incendiary kites and balloons were sent from Gaza, resulting in fires and other damages. Israeli officials have now stated that several kites were discovered in a kibbutz close to Gaza, with no weapons or hazardous materials attached.
Netanyahu’s latest actions come as Israeli airstrikes and tank fire claimed the lives of at least four individuals on Monday, including two children, hospital sources reported, just a week after a U.S. delegation urged Israel to reduce its military actions.
The strikes targeted the Bureij and Shati refugee camps, Khan Younis, and a tent in Deir al-Balah, resulting in the deaths of two children, aged four and ten, alongside two men.
The attack on October 7 resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities in Israel and 251 hostages taken, according to Israeli sources. In retaliation, Israel’s operations in Gaza have reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 73,422 Palestinians, as per the Health Ministry in the enclave, which claims that since a ceasefire began last October, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 1,288 Palestinians.
A displaced Palestinian boy prepares a kite amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, in February 2024. (Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)
On the Telegram messaging platform, Hamas stated that Netanyahu’s comments regarding children flying kites “confirm a calculated intent to persist with aggression and continue the plans for displacement and genocide.”
The organization condemned the recent Israeli strikes as a “further escalation of brutal crimes” against Palestinians and a “flagrant violation” of international law.
It also called upon the Trump administration and mediators to denounce Israel’s actions and compel it to “follow the roadmap leading to a true ceasefire in Gaza.”
Omar expressed his fear of flying kites, worried that a strike could occur because of him, resulting in “everyone being killed around me…. I don’t want to die; there is no safety.”
His mother, Yasmin Halawa, 38, mentioned that her son has already lost so much and cannot afford to also lose his kite. “He has lost his school, his soccer games, his swimming,” she shared. “So he decided to make a kite.”
Halawa expressed concern that further restrictions may be imposed on children’s activities due to security issues raised by Israel.
As the evening approached, the children continued to fly their kites, though this time near their tents rather than along the Mediterranean shoreline.