The Israeli administration has issued a warning regarding the potential escalation of “targeted strikes” on Gaza unless Hamas takes measures to stop kites, including those flown by children, from reaching Israeli territory.
In a message shared on the social media platform X on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted 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 aimed at Israel.”
Participants in the meeting included Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, the chief of the general staff; the head of the National Security Council; as well as senior officials from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
Netanyahu further stated that Israel is alerting Hamas that if the launches do not stop immediately, “the IDF will take action to intensify targeted strikes against those responsible for the launches and will evacuate individuals from areas utilized as launch sites for kites, drones, and balloons.”
“Israel will not permit the Hamas terrorist organization or any other group within the Gaza Strip to threaten our communities again and compromise our citizens’ sense of safety,” he remarked.
For 13-year-old Omar Halawa, flying kites along the coast in Khan Younis provides a momentary escape amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip.
“We fly kites to uplift our spirits,” he told CBC freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife. “There’s nothing left in Gaza that brings us joy.”
Omar mentioned that he constructs kites on his own, crafting the fringe and the tail. He is aware of Netanyahu’s warnings directed at kite flyers.
“We don’t use any missiles; we are just kids,” he insisted. “We are not involved with Hamas; we just want to live.”
-
As Israel’s military advances its yellow line, Gazans fear they’re being pushed to the sea
-
Israel opens criminal probes over killings of 6-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, Gaza rescue workers
Prior to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which ignited the current conflict, Israel reported that incendiary kites and balloons were launched from Gaza, resulting in fires and other damages. Israeli authorities have since discovered several kites in a kibbutz near Gaza, none of which were equipped with weapons or hazardous materials.
Netanyahu’s recent stance comes following Israeli airstrikes and tank fire that resulted in the deaths of at least four individuals on Monday, including two children, according to hospital sources, just a week after a U.S. delegation urged Israel to reduce its military actions.
The strikes impacted the Bureij and Shati refugee camps, Khan Younis, and a tent in Deir al-Balah, leading to the deaths of two children aged four and ten, along with two men.
The attack on October 7 in Israel resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and saw 251 individuals taken hostage, based on Israeli reports. The subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza has claimed the lives of over 73,422 Palestinians, as reported by the Health Ministry in the enclave, which also indicates that since a ceasefire began in 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)
In a statement on the Telegram messaging service, Hamas accused Netanyahu of suggesting that children flying kites indicate a “premeditated intent to persist in aggression and continue with plans for displacement and genocide.”
The organization labeled Israel’s recent military actions as a “further escalation in committing brutal crimes” against Palestinians and a “blatant violation” of international law.
Hamas has also called upon the Trump administration and other mediators to denounce Israel’s actions and to pressure it to “follow the roadmap leading to a true ceasefire in Gaza.”
Omar expressed that he is now fearful of flying kites due to the possibility of a strike occurring because of him, leading to “everyone around me getting killed… I don’t want to die; there is no safety.”
His mother, Yasmin Halawa, 38, shared that her son has lost everything and cannot afford to lose his kite as well. “He lost his school, his soccer games, and his swimming,” she noted. “So he made the decision to create a kite.”
Halawa expressed her concern that further restrictions might be imposed on children’s activities due to security concerns raised by Israel.
As dusk fell, the children continued to fly their kites, this time near their tents instead of by the Mediterranean shore.