JERUSALEM, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israel threatened on Sunday to intensify the killing of Hamas officials and displace more Palestinians from areas of Gaza if kite, balloon and drone launches toward southern Israel continue.
The warning was issued in an official statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and Defense Minister Israel Katz following a "security assessment."
"Israel warns Hamas that if the launches do not stop immediately, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will step up the killings of those responsible and displace people from areas from which kites, balloons and drones were launched," the statement said.
Ten kites have crossed from Gaza into Israel since Friday, according to Israel's state-owned Kan TV news. The report said the military intercepted a kite on Sunday, marking the first such interception since 2018.
The Israeli military said the kites carried no explosive materials and posed no danger to the public.
Before the Israeli military campaign began in 2023, militants in Gaza occasionally launched kites and balloons carrying incendiary materials that caused fires in the arid agricultural areas of southern Israel.
The warning comes as Israeli strikes in Gaza have continued despite an October 2025 U.S.-backed ceasefire.
At least 73,420 people have been killed in the Israeli attacks in Gaza since the war, sparked by the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, began in October 2023. More than 1,286 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the truce took effect, according to Palestinian health officials. ■
