Israeli authorities have threatened to increase targeted killings and evacuate residential areas in Gaza if children do not stop flying kites, according to the report published on August 24, 2026. Children in displaced-persons camps regularly fly kites for entertainment, and broken strings can allow them to drift across the border into Israeli territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said killings would be increased and residents of relevant residential areas removed if kite, balloon or drone launches continued. Katz said on Sunday that, whether or not they carried explosives, “a kite is like a drone.” However, the Israeli military said four kites recovered near Gaza contained no suspicious objects and posed no risk to the public.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said Israel was using children’s toys as a pretext for carrying out aggression. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 2023 have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured more than 174,000, while about 90 percent of the territory’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed.