Hamas says Israeli threats over kites in Gaza are justification for targeting children

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Palestinian children take part in a swimming training program along the coast of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine on August 21, 2026. [Abdalhkem Abu Riash - Anadolu Agency]https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AA-20260821-42267832-42267810-SWIMMING_PROGRAM_HELD_FOR_PALESTINIAN_CHILDREN_IN_GAZA-1.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" width="1200" />
Hamas said on Sunday that Israeli threats over kites being flown in the Gaza Strip were an attempt to justify continued attacks and threats against children.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem made the remarks in a statement after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened on Sunday to step up assassination operations and displace Palestinians from areas of the Gaza Strip unless the launching of “balloons and kites” towards Israel stopped.

Children in Gaza use kites for play and recreation, particularly in displacement camps.

Some of the kites reach Israeli areas bordering the Gaza Strip after their strings break and they are carried by air currents.

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