Netanyahu Threatens Gaza Children Over Kites, Hamas Cries Foul

Children flying kites in Gaza have drawn a brutal threat from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vowed to increase "killing operations" against those deemed responsible for kites reaching Israeli settlements near the border. This escalation comes despite the Israeli military's own acknowledgment that the kites carried no suspicious materials and posed no danger.

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will increase killing operations

Reports from the ground indicate these kites are primarily a form of recreation for children in Gaza's refugee camps, offering a small escape from the harsh realities of the ongoing conflict. The kites are flown using strings from the ground, and when strings break, winds can carry them across the border into Israel, which lies just kilometers away.

Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement after a security assessment, announcing the military would "increase killing operations" and threatened to evacuate residents from areas they claim are kite launch sites. Katz had previously ordered the military to act "immediately and with full force" against kites and balloons from Gaza, stating, "Balloons are like kites, and kites are like drones, whether they carry explosives or not."

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Balloons are like kites, and kites are like drones, whether they carry explosives or not.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem condemned Israel's threats, warning against using children's kites as a pretext for further attacks. "This threat, based on false pretenses, is an attempt to justify the continuation of aggression and violations against our people, even threatening children in the Gaza Strip," Qassem stated. He urged the United States, mediators, and guarantor states to pressure Israel to cease its actions, asserting that Palestinians are adhering to the ceasefire.

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This threat, based on false pretenses, is an attempt to justify the continuation of aggression and violations against our people, even threatening children in the Gaza Strip.