Israel warns of 'forceful' response to kites flown from Gaza

Israel has issued a stern warning to Hamas, stating it will launch forceful strikes in response to kites launched from Gaza. The kites, which were not armed with explosives, were discovered in an Israeli settlement near the Gaza border over the weekend, according to local media. Defense Minister Israel Katz declared on Monday that Israel would take decisive action to halt this issue.

Prior to the conflict, incendiary kites and balloons were flown into Israel, igniting fires that devastated forests and farmland. Hamas has denied accountability for the new kites, claiming they belong to children seeking normalcy amidst the rubble. The group also accused Israel of using the kites as a pretext for ongoing air strikes in Gaza, despite a ceasefire agreement in October.

The United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia have condemned Israel for failing to investigate the killings of an aid worker in Gaza. Four kites were found in the Kibbutz Nahal Oz, approximately 800 meters from the Gaza border, on Friday and Saturday. Military sources suggest Hamas is responsible for the kites, possibly testing Israel's response.

Although no suspicious materials were attached to the kites, Katz declared a zero-tolerance policy, treating balloons similarly to kites and drones, with or without explosives. Residents in Nahal Oz expressed their apprehension about the resurgence of incendiary kites and balloons, stating they would not accept a containment policy for their security.

Hamas denounced Israel's allegations and threats, asserting the kites were merely children's toys from displacement camps. The group labeled these threats as fabricated pretexts aimed at justifying the continuation of aggression and violations against the Palestinian people. On Sunday, two individuals were killed and seven others injured in Israeli strikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp and the town of al-Zuwayda in central Gaza.

A four-year-old boy, Mohammed Taha, was killed when a building in al-Zawayda was bombed, according to local media. The Israeli military claimed they killed Ismail Abu Ful, the commander of a Hamas weapons manufacturing site in Maghazi, and warned residents to evacuate. Palestinian media reported that Mohammed Abu Asad was killed in an Israeli strike on a tent in Deir al-Balah.

The Israeli military stated Abu Asad was a member of Hamas' elite Nukhba forces who participated in the 7 October 2023 cross-border assault on southern Israel. Since the October 7, 2023, attack, more than 74,420 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, with 1,288 fatalities since the ceasefire took effect, as per the Hamas-run health ministry.