Israel warns of forceful response over kites and drones from Gaza

Israel has warned that it will intensify strikes on Gaza after kites, drones and balloons were reported near the border, in an incident that has revived memories of earlier cross-border fire hazards. The warning came after several kites were found in an Israeli community close to Gaza over the weekend. Israeli officials said the items did not carry explosives, but they treated the episode as a security concern.

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Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that "forceful actions will be taken to put an end to this phenomenon". He also said that a balloon would be treated like a kite, and a kite like a drone, whether or not explosives were attached. Local reports said four kites were found in Kibbutz Nahal Oz on Friday and Saturday, with several more discovered elsewhere in southern Israel last week.

The kibbutz is about 800 metres from the Gaza border. The Israeli military said the kites did not pose a threat because no suspicious materials were attached. Even so, reports citing military sources said officials believed Hamas may have been behind the launches and that they could have been intended to test Israel's response.

Residents of Nahal Oz said they feared a return to the incendiary kite and balloon campaigns seen before the war, when such devices caused fires in forest and farmland. They said they would not accept a policy of containment on security. Hamas denied responsibility and said the kites belonged to children searching for "their innocent childhood amid the rubble".

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The group accused Israel of using the kites as a pretext for continued air strikes in Gaza despite the ceasefire agreed last October. Hamas also warned of the danger of the allegations and threats, saying the items were essentially children's toys from displacement camps. The exchange shows how even small-scale incidents near the border can quickly become part of a wider confrontation.

The episode matters because it touches on a tactic that has previously caused damage and heightened tensions along the Gaza frontier. Before the war, kites and balloons carrying incendiary devices were launched into Israel and sparked fires that burned farmland and forest areas. That history gives added weight to Israeli warnings, even though the latest items were said not to contain explosives.

It also underlines how border incidents can influence military decisions and public anxiety in nearby communities. What remains unclear is who launched the kites, drones and balloons, and whether they were coordinated or isolated acts. It is also not clear whether Israel will follow through with the threatened escalation or whether the ceasefire framework will limit the response.

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