Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz warned the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement on the 23rd that if they do not immediately stop “flying kites” from the Gaza Strip to Israel, the Israeli military will step up the crackdown on relevant personnel and evacuate residents in relevant areas of the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli media reports, at least 4 kites flying from the Gaza Strip fell into a collective farm near the Gaza Strip in southern Israel this weekend. The Israeli military said that no suspicious items were found on these kites, and the kites did not pose a danger to the public. However, these kites are reminiscent of the kites and balloons that flew from the Gaza Strip in previous years, carried combustion devices, and caused fires in many parts of southern Israel. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim responded on the same day that Israel should not make threats on the grounds of so-called “kite flying,” adding that these kites are just “toys for children in refugee camps in Gaza.” Qasim said the Israeli threat was “based on fabricated excuses” in an attempt to find justification for continuing actions and “violations” against the Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz warned the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement on the 23rd that if they do not immediately stop “flying kites” from the Gaza Strip to Israel, the Israeli military will step up the crackdown on relevant personnel and evacuate residents in relevant areas of the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli media reports, at least 4 kites flying from the Gaza Strip fell into a collective farm near the Gaza Strip in southern Israel this weekend. The Israeli military said that no suspicious items were found on these kites, and the kites did not pose a danger to the public. However, these kites are reminiscent of the kites and balloons that flew from the Gaza Strip in previous years, carried combustion devices, and caused fires in many parts of southern Israel. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim responded on the same day that Israel should not make threats on the grounds of so-called “kite flying,” adding that these kites are just “toys for children in refugee camps in Gaza.” Qasim said the Israeli threat was “based on fabricated excuses” in an attempt to find justification for continuing actions and “violations” against the Palestinians.