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Kites prompt Gaza strikes
Israeli air strikes hit a warehouse in az-Zawayda and two areas on Salah al-Din Street in central Gaza on Sunday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to intensify attacks over “launches” of “kites, drones and balloons” from the territory.
“Israel warns Hamas that if the launches toward Israel do not stop immediately”
Al Jazeera’s Moath al-Kahlout reported that Israeli forces used two missiles in the attack on the warehouse, causing a fire and widespread destruction, while a witness Abu Ahmed said, “There is no ceasefire; there is nothing,”.
The strikes killed at least three Palestinians, including a four-year-old child identified as four-year-old Muhammad Abdel Salam Taha, and wounded six others in az-Zawayda, while two others were killed in separate attacks on Salah al-Din Street, according to Wafa.
In a joint statement, Netanyahu and Israel Katz warned that “the [Israeli military] will act to intensify strikes against those responsible for the launches and evacuate populations from areas from which kites, drones and balloons are launched,” if launches do not stop immediately.
The same reporting tied the escalation to a broader pattern of attacks continuing despite a United States-brokered ceasefire, with Al Jazeera saying at least 1,286 Palestinians have been killed since the so-called “ceasefire” agreement took effect in October.
Assassinations and evacuations
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to carry out assassinations and evacuate residential neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip over the launch of balloons and kites toward Israeli settlements near the enclave, and he said he had instructed the Israeli army to "act forcefully" against launches from Gaza.
Katz described every launch as “a military action in every respect,” and he threatened to pursue anyone who “organizes, carries out or permits the launches,” while also saying, "A balloon is like a kite, and a kite is like a drone, whether it carries explosives or not,".
In response, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told The Times of Israel that Netanyahu’s threats “are based on fabricated pretexts and are an attempt to justify the continuation of the aggression and violations against our people,” and he called on the US and mediators to “stop the unchecked aggression against our people and the destruction of the ceasefire framework”.
Al Jazeera’s reporting said Netanyahu held a meeting with Katz on Sunday evening and issued a joint statement condemning “launches” from Gaza, linking the warning to the claim that four kites were launched from Gaza toward Israeli communities over the weekend.
The Anadolu account of the same threat described the Israeli prime minister and defense minister warning that the army would “increase assassination operations” against those they hold responsible and threatened to evacuate residents from areas from which Israel says kites, balloons or drones are launched.
Health collapse and next phase
Beyond the immediate strikes, Al-Jazeera Net reported that Gaza’s Health Ministry warned of a severe shortage of oxygen becoming a direct threat to patients’ lives, as it said shortages of essential medicines exceed 52%, 70% for medical consumables, and more than 80% for laboratory supplies.
“shortages of essential medicines exceed 52%”
The same report quoted Mohammad Abu Silmiya, director of Shifa Medical Complex, saying the health sector is facing “unprecedented conditions,” and he warned that generator failures, fuel and oil shortages, spare parts, and shortages of spare parts for oxygen plants threaten the operation of intensive care units, neonatal intensive care units, operating rooms, and emergency departments.
It also put the humanitarian stakes in stark figures, saying the ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement have resulted in the martyrdom of 1,286 Palestinians and injuries to 4,257 others up to Saturday, while the toll since October 2023 has risen to 73,420 martyrs and 174,369 injured.
In parallel, Al Jazeera Net said the ceasefire violations continued despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for a halt to strikes, and it cited Trump telling Fox News on August 17 that Israel “should not carry out strikes in the sector,” noting that Hamas agreed to relinquish its weapons as part of a plan aimed at ending the war.
The Anadolu reporting on the kite-driven escalation framed the political stakes around the second phase of a U.S. peace roadmap, with Hamas agreeing to a U.S. roadmap aimed at moving to the second phase while Israel had not yet approved it, and Netanyahu calling for Hamas to be completely disarmed before any withdrawal.