Kites flown by children in the Gaza Strip have triggered Israeli threats of assassinations and the evacuation of residential neighborhoods, despite the Israeli army acknowledging that kites recovered near Gaza carried no suspicious material and posed no danger.
Israeli media reported in recent days that several kites had reached communities near the Gaza Strip.
Field information obtained by Anadolu indicates that the kites are commonly flown by children for recreation, particularly in displacement camps, as they seek moments of relief amid the harsh conditions created by Israel's genocide in the enclave.
The lightweight kites are controlled by strings from the ground. If a string breaks, however, wind currents can carry them beyond Gaza, where some residential areas lie only a few kilometers from Israeli communities across the boundary.
Despite no explosives being found on the recovered kites, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened Sunday to escalate assassinations in Gaza and evacuate Palestinians from residential areas if such launches continued.
In a joint statement following a security assessment attended by Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir and senior military officials, Netanyahu and Katz warned that the army would "increase assassination operations" against those it holds responsible.
They also threatened to evacuate residents from areas from which Israel says kites, balloons or drones are launched.
Earlier Sunday, Katz ordered the military to act "immediately and forcefully" against kites and balloons coming from Gaza.
"A balloon is like a kite, and a kite is like a drone, whether it carries explosives or not," he said.
The threats drew both ridicule and concern among Palestinians in Gaza, with some fearing they could be used to justify a broader Israeli military escalation.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem warned against Israeli claims concerning what he described as "children's toys in displacement camps."
"These threats, based on fabricated pretexts, are an attempt to justify the continuation of aggression and violations against our people, reaching the point of threatening children in the Gaza Strip," Qassem said.
He urged the US administration, mediators, guarantor states and the Board of Peace to pressure Israel to halt attacks that he said were undermining the ceasefire, which the Palestinian side was fully observing.
Political analyst Iyad al-Qarra told Anadolu that the Israeli threats could serve both military and domestic political purposes.
He said they could signal an intention to resume broader airstrikes under what he described as flimsy pretexts while also serving domestic political objectives during Israel's election period.
Al-Qarra noted that Israeli military and security circles themselves had said the kites posed no threat.
He argued that Israel was seeking to create a climate of escalation and divert domestic attention while avoiding its obligations under Gaza ceasefire arrangements.
"How can a nuclear state the size of Israel be alarmed by kites flown by children?" he said.
The Israeli army said Saturday that four kites had been found near the Nahal Oz community over roughly 24 hours -- one on Friday and three the following morning.
After examining them, the army acknowledged that "no suspicious materials were found" and that they "posed no danger to the public."
The military statement provided no evidence that the kites had been deliberately sent toward Israeli territory.
Despite that finding, heads of Israeli local councils near Gaza called for a military response before Katz ordered action against kites reaching Israel from the enclave.
Israeli forces have carried out daily violations of a ceasefire in place since Oct. 10, 2025 which have killed 1,286 people and wounded 4,257, according to Palestine Health Ministry data.
Israel launched a war on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 73,000 Palestinians, wounding over 174,000 and devastating about 90% of the enclave's civilian infrastructure.
