Photo by
TPS-IL on 27 August, 2026
Katz Warns Israel Will Respond Forcefully to Further Gaza Kite, Balloon Launches
By
Pesach Benson
• 27 August, 2026
Jerusalem, 27 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Thursday that Israel will respond forcefully to any further launches of balloons or kites from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israeli communities.
“The ultimatum we set following the launch of balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip toward the Negev communities has expired,” Katz said during a situation assessment with Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other senior defense officials.
“We made it clear that from our perspective, any launch is a terrorist act in every sense of the word – and that is how we will treat it,” the Defense Minister said.
Katz said future launches would trigger action against those responsible, their organizers, launch sites and supporting infrastructure. Measures could also include evacuating residents from areas used for launches.
“We will not allow Hamas or any other party to return to the methods of intimidation and threats against the southern communities as they did before October 7,” he said.
A Palestinian child in Gaza City holds a kite on Aug. 23, 2026. Photo by TPS-IL
Four kites believed to have been flown from Gaza landed in Kibbutz Nahal Oz over the weekend, prompting concern among residents who recalled Hamas’s past use of kites to carry incendiary devices across the border.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the kites were attached to strings stretching several kilometers and that no suspicious objects were found. The military said there was no danger to the public.
Residents nevertheless remained concerned, warning that similar incidents involving kites and balloons had been part of the 2018 Gaza border unrest. Some residents also said they believed the latest incident could be an attempt by Hamas to test Israel’s response.
During the 2018 Gaza border unrest, Palestinian incendiary kites and balloons caused more than 2,000 fires in southern Israel, burning more than 35,000 dunams (3,500 hectares) of land, according to the IDF.
