Israeli defense chief renews threat to punish Gaza for flying kites

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz renewed his threat Thursday to expel Palestinians from any area in the Gaza Strip from which kites or balloons were being flown. Katz made the threat during a high-level security meeting with army chief Eyal Zamir, the head of Israeli air defense and other top military officials, according to a statement released by his office. Katz said the warning was issued after balloons and kites were flown from areas inside the Gaza Strip. Katz warned that the flying of kites or balloons would be met with a “firm response” against those responsible and against areas from which they were being flown. “Based on the instructions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and my instructions, the Israeli army will use all necessary tools, including evacuating Gaza residents from any area or neighborhood from which kite and balloon launches are carried out,” he said. Katz and Netanyahu issued similar threats on Sunday, warning of stepped-up assassinations and expulsions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip if the flying of kites and balloons toward Israel did not stop. Israel has not reported any deaths or injuries from the kites and balloons that it says originated from the Gaza Strip. Typically flown by children, lightweight kites are controlled by strings pulled from the ground. If a string breaks, wind can carry the kites beyond the Gaza Strip toward nearby Israeli communities, some of which are located only a few kilometers away. On Tuesday, the UN’s human rights office criticized Israeli threats to evacuate areas in the Gaza Strip over the flying of children’s kites, saying such threats contravened international legal obligations to protect civilians. Nevertheless, the threats have prompted some local groups in the Gaza Strip to urge families to stop their children from flying kites, fearing Israel could use the practice as a pretext to escalate attacks. Separately, Netanyahu denied that Israel plans to reopen the Erez (Beit Hanoun) crossing to goods entering Gaza following Israeli reports that the crossing might soon resume operations. “There are absolutely no instructions to open the Erez crossing for goods,” Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Katz. “Israel’s policy in Gaza is clear and has not changed: there will be no reconstruction before Hamas is disarmed and the Gaza Strip is fully demilitarized,” he added. Israel’s Channel 24 reported on Thursday that Israel was expected to reopen the Erez crossing on Sept. 1 amid mounting Western pressure to increase humanitarian aid deliveries into the northern Gaza Strip. But Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Thursday that the army had prepared in recent days to reopen the Erez crossing on Sept. 1 despite Netanyahu’s denial. The preparations were approved by the National Security Council amid “significant US pressure” and included infrastructure work and road construction near the crossing under US supervision, it said. Germany’s deputy defense minister visited Israel last Friday to inaugurate a new inspection facility at the crossing purchased by Berlin, it added.