Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that further kite launches from Gaza would trigger intensified IDF strikes, targeted killings against those responsible, and the evacuation of civilians from areas used to launch kites, balloons, or drones toward Israel. The warning follows the discovery of at least four kites in Kibbutz Nahal Oz over the weekend, none carrying suspicious material, as reported by The Zioneer.
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday ordered the IDF to 'act forcefully' against the renewed launching of kites, balloons, and drones from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli communities in the Gaza Envelope. In a statement from his office, Katz said he views every launch as 'an act of war' and instructed the military to take all necessary steps to stop the phenomenon, including targeting the Hamas leaders responsible for the launches, removing the operatives themselves, evacuating neighborhoods and areas from which launches are carried out, and operating against terror infrastructure.
Katz later summoned the IDF Chief of Staff and top military brass for an urgent discussion on the matter, according to reports.
By Monday, Israel delivered a three-day ultimatum to the Gaza Peace Council to halt the launches entirely, warning that failure would trigger an escalation in strikes across the Strip. Security establishment sources told Israeli media that the kite launches are directed by Hamas to test Israel's response. The Zioneer previously reported the ultimatum and subsequent IDF strikes on Hamas weapons warehouses late Monday.
The warning follows the discovery of at least four kites in Kibbutz Nahal Oz over the weekend. The IDF said none carried suspicious material. The tactic of launching incendiary kites and balloons was widely used by Palestinian terrorists in 2018, sparking large fires in Israeli border areas. Katz's directive marks a return to a hardline policy of treating such launches as acts of war, with consequences including targeted killings and civilian evacuations from launch zones.
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