Jump to contentAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleIsrael has warned that kites and balloons crossing from Gaza will be treated as drone-level security threats, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatening targeted strikes against launchers. Despite Israeli military inspections finding no explosives on recovered kites, officials insisted all airborne concerns must be addressed to safeguard border communities. An Israeli air strike in central Gaza killed three Palestinians on Sunday, including a four-year-old child, alongside escalating warnings from Israeli leadership. Hamas accused Israel of using fabricated pretexts to justify continued aggression against Palestinians, appealing to the Trump administration to exert pressure on Israel. Human rights groups and local parents voiced alarm that traditional kite-flying by children in overcrowded displacement camps is being used to manufacture a military pretext. In fullIsraeli defence minister threatens crackdown on kite flying in Gaza saying they will be ‘treated the same as a drone’More bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

The IDF said no suspicious materials were found on the kites and they posed no danger, while members of local communities expressed concern: 'This is how it started before October…

Some fear that objects crossing above the border fence can mark the beginning of a visible escalation. Incendiary balloons or rockets could follow the kites.