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- October 19, 202617°
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Israel threatens assassinations and evacuations over kites from Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz announced that assassination operations would be expanded and some areas evacuated if kites continued to be sent from Gaza toward Israeli settlements. The Israeli army said no suspicious substance or public danger had been detected in four kites found over approximately 24 hours.
Kites flown by children in Gaza for entertainment reaching Israeli settlements prompted the Israeli government to threaten assassinations and evacuations.
Israeli media reported that in recent days, some kites launched from Gaza had reached Israeli settlements around the Strip. No explosives were found in the kites.
Netanyahu and Katz issue threats
In a joint statement released Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz said assassination operations targeting those identified as responsible would be expanded unless the sending of kites toward Israel was halted.
The statement also said residents of areas from which kites, unmanned aerial vehicles and balloons were sent would be evacuated. Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and senior military officials attended the assessment meeting.
Katz had previously instructed the army to take immediate and forceful action against kites and balloons coming from Gaza. He argued that balloons and kites, as well as kites and unmanned aerial vehicles, should be addressed within the same framework regardless of whether they carried explosives.
Israeli army detects four kites
In a statement Saturday, the Israeli army announced that four kites had been found near the Nahal Oz settlement within approximately 24 hours. One was detected Friday and three on Saturday morning.
The military examination found no suspicious substance in the kites and determined that they posed no danger to the public. The army's announcement contained no information proving that the kites had been deliberately sent toward Israeli settlements.
Some parts of Gaza's residential areas are only a few kilometers from Israeli settlements around the Strip. Kites without engines or independent steering systems can drift with the wind when their strings break.
Hamas responds to Israeli statements
The Israeli government's statements caused surprise and concern in Gaza. Some Palestinians mocked the threats, while others feared they could be used to justify a possible military escalation.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem criticized the presentation of kites flown by displaced children in Gaza as a threat in a statement Sunday. Qassem said the statements aimed to create a pretext for continuing attacks and violations, adding that the threats extended even to children in Gaza.
Qassem also called on the U.S. administration, mediators and guarantor countries, as well as the Peace Council, to exert pressure. The Hamas spokesman called for the attacks to stop and for the ceasefire process in Gaza not to be undermined.
Analyst: Statements became a subject of ridicule
Writer and political analyst Iyad al-Karra argued that Israel's statements about the kites could point to two objectives. Karra said the statements could indicate an intention to resume large-scale airstrikes and could also be aimed at domestic political consumption.
Karra said Israel's military and security circles had acknowledged that the kites posed no danger. He alleged that the statements aimed to shift the domestic agenda to other issues and evade responsibility for implementing the ceasefire agreements in Gaza.
Karra argued that Hamas had remained committed to the ceasefire agreement and said no incident had been recorded on the ground indicating that the Palestinian side had violated the agreement. Claiming that Israel violated the agreement every day, Karra criticized the portrayal of kites flown by children as a threat.
Death toll rises in Gaza
According to data from Gaza's Health Ministry, approximately 1,286 Palestinians had been killed and 4,257 injured by Saturday due to ceasefire violations.
The ministry announced that since October 2023, the total death toll in the war against Gaza had risen to 73,420, while the number of wounded had reached 174,369.
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