Israel accused of using kites as pretext to justify escalating Gaza attacks

Israel has threatened Palestinian groups against launching ‘kites, drones, and balloons’ from the war-torn enclave.Israeli media reports that kites were launched from Gaza [Al Jazeera]Published On 24 Aug 2026A four-year-old child was among three Palestinians killed in Israeli air attacks in central Gaza on Sunday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to escalate attacks over the alleged launching of paper kites from the war-torn enclave.On Sunday, Israel fired missiles at a warehouse in az-Zawayda, reducing it to rubble, and then carried out strikes near Salah al-Din Street, killing four-year-old Muhammad Abdel Salam Taha.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2Kite carrying Palestinian children’s messages reaches Mount Everest summitlist 2 of 2Israel kills 3 in Gaza as Netanyahu threatens attacks over kite launchesend of listIsraeli drone attacks also targeted southern Khan Younis and a tent sheltering displaced people at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, resulting in more casualties.Standing amid the destruction in az-Zawayda, witness Abu Ahmed expressed widespread despair over the relentless violence. “There is no ceasefire; there is nothing. We want solutions; we want to live in peace,” he said.The deadly bombardment comes as Palestinian and Israeli affairs experts warn that the government is fabricating a security crisis around children’s toys to derail ceasefire agreements, enforce demographic changes and ensure Netanyahu’s political survival.After the attack, Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Israel-katz" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="4249" data-entity-type="person">Israel Katz issued a joint statement on Sunday threatening severe retaliation over the toys. They also threatened the forced displacement of Palestinians from areas “used as launch sites for kites, drones and balloons”.An Israeli soldier inspects a kite in the Gaza envelope, allegedly launched from the Strip [Al Jazeera]“There will be no return to the state of affairs prior to October 7 [2023],” the joint statement said, adding that Israel will not allow Hamas or any other group in Gaza “to threaten our communities again and compromise our citizens’ sense of security”.The attacks came despite the Israeli military acknowledging that the recovered kites contained no explosives and were simply flown by children. While the joint statement cited “kites, drones, and balloons”, military inspections confirmed finding only 10 paper kites – all completely free of explosives and flown by children in displacement camps.Palestinian political analyst Hussam Shaheen told Al Jazeera that claims regarding drones being launched from Gaza are fabricated. “It is a false and baseless assertion; it is non-existent. It has been denied, and there is no evidence whatsoever to prove any connection to drones,” he said.Adel Shadid, an expert on Israeli affairs, told Al Jazeera that the threat is entirely manufactured by Hebrew media under the direction of the military establishment.“It was clear that there was an intention to invest in and use these paper kites as a pretext, and the whole issue might be fabricated,” Shadid said.Nuclear weapons versus paper kitesAnalysts highlighted the absurdity of Israel’s claims regarding the toys.Palestinian political analyst Hussam Shaheen told Al Jazeera that the kites are merely a flimsy excuse to avoid political commitments.“It is inconceivable that a state claiming to be a great power possessing a nuclear arsenal considers a paper kite flown by a Palestinian child a security threat,” Shaheen said.He further noted the logistical impossibility of the Israeli narrative, pointing out that displaced Palestinians are flying these kites in camps surrounded by invading forces.“Seventy percent of the Strip is still under the control of the Israeli army, so how can one talk about paper kites penetrating all this space and posing a security threat?” Shaheen added.Electoral survivalThe sudden escalation coincides with Israel’s rejection of a United States-backed 15-point ceasefire roadmap that Hamas had already accepted, prompting experts to link the violence directly to the upcoming October elections.Shaheen highlighted how the political establishment relies on violence for votes, noting that Palestinians are historically used as an electoral card.“Opinion polls indicate that Netanyahu’s chances of forming a government have become non-existent,” Shadid told Al Jazeera.Experts emphasise that inflating the threat of paper kites serves a darker strategic goal of reshaping demographic realities on the ground.“Netanyahu does not need to invent a major issue out of the paper kites; rather, the primary goal is pushing the Palestinians towards displacement and dodging any political commitment,” Shaheen told Al Jazeera.Suleiman Bisharat, a political researcher, explained that the government deliberately uses these weak excuses to instil a psychological state of fear within Israeli society, rallying domestic support for disproportionate force.“It is true that we might consider these excuses superficial and weak, but ultimately … Israel ties them to the security equation,” Bisharat told Al Jazeera.