In a sharp escalation of tensions along the Gaza-Israel border, the Israeli government has formally ordered its military to forcibly remove Palestinian residents from Gaza Strip neighborhoods where children fly kites and release balloons, Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 revealed in a Thursday report.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made the announcement during a closed-door meeting with top military leadership, including Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. Katz stated that the public deadline Israel had set following recent kite and balloon incursions into southern Israel’s Negev region had passed, warning that any future airborne launches from Gaza would face harsh retaliation.
Notably, Katz framed every single launch as an intentional act of terrorism — a classification that contradicts the Israeli military’s own assessment just one week prior, which concluded the kites posed no meaningful threat to Israeli civilian life. Per Katz’s order, the Israeli military will target all parties connected to the launches, from organizers to participants, and he confirmed the new directive comes directly from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“From now on, every launch will be met with a forceful response against those responsible, the organisers and the perpetrators,” Katz said. “The Israeli military will act with all necessary means, including evacuating the population from an area or neighbourhood from which launches are carried out, in order to deal with the centres of terrorism.” Katz added that Israel would not permit Hamas or any other Palestinian group to threaten Israeli communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip, stressing that “whoever does so will pay a heavy price.”
Border tensions over kite flying have built gradually in recent months, with Israeli media documenting a steady rise in the number of Palestinian kites drifting across the heavily fortified boundary. Israeli national newspaper Israel Hayom reported Thursday that Israel’s security apparatus holds Hamas responsible for the increase, claiming the group’s actions stem from frustration over ongoing deadly Israeli military operations in the blockaded enclave.
Last week, Israeli outlet Haaretz reported that four kites had been recovered in border communities, prompting local residents to push the Israeli military for aggressive action. “This is how it started before 7 October,” one local Israeli community council stated last week, adding that residents “will not accept a policy of containment when it comes to our security.” Ori Epstein, head of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council, echoed that sentiment Sunday, arguing that even a single kite crossing the border demands a military response. “When there’s no response, the message that gets conveyed to the other side is that it’s allowed to continue,” Epstein said.
Following sustained public pressure from border residents, the Israeli military has already ramped up operations: Channel 13 confirmed that Zamir ordered an increase in targeted assassination strikes across the Gaza earlier this week. Prime Minister Netanyahu reaffirmed the hardline stance during a Monday meeting with Zamir, stating that “Israel will not allow Hamas or any other party in the Gaza Strip to return to threatening our communities and undermining our citizens’ sense of security.” Netanyahu warned Hamas that if kite launches do not cease, the Israeli military will target those responsible and forcibly evacuate all residents from launch zones.
As Israeli threats intensified, local Gaza non-governmental organizations, working in coordination with Hamas, have publicly urged Palestinian parents to prevent their children from flying kites in border areas. “We are working tirelessly on the ground and doing everything possible to stop this practice,” the organizations said in a public statement, noting that the urgent appeal is intended to protect the lives of innocent Palestinian children.
The new Israeli policy has drawn sharp condemnation from Palestinian leaders. This week alone, Israeli strikes across Gaza have already killed multiple Palestinian civilians, including non-combatants. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim criticized the Israeli position as an absurd contradiction, pointing out that “in a surreal paradox, a nuclear state that practises terrorism daily, charged with committing genocide in Gaza, mobilises and issues orders to deal forcefully with paper kites coming out of Gaza.” Naim emphasized that the kites are being flown by children, not armed combatants.