The United Nations has condemned Israel’s threat to expel Palestinians from Gaza areas where children have been flying kites. Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the UN rights office, called the threat “outrageous” at a news briefing on Tuesday.
Israel said it would intensify targeted military operations if kites, drones or balloons continued to be launched toward Israel, and warned that residents would be evacuated from areas used for the launches.
What Israel and Gaza authorities said
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that Israel would target those responsible if the launches did not stop immediately. The warning followed reports that several kites without incendiary devices had drifted into southern Israeli communities during the previous month.
Gaza’s popular committees, which coordinate with Hamas authorities, urged parents on Monday to stop children flying kites, saying the measure was intended to protect them. A mother in Gaza City told Reuters that she would no longer allow her son to fly kites. Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim rejected Israel’s warning and said children’s activities should not be treated as armed activity.
Related coverage: Military investigation announced more than two years after Gaza child’s death.
Why the threat has drawn attention
The incidents have revived memories of incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza in 2018. Palestinians said those launches were part of protests against Israel’s blockade of the enclave.
The dispute is unfolding during a ceasefire in Gaza that, according to the supplied account, has not halted Israeli attacks. Gaza’s Ministry of Health says more than 1,280 Palestinians have been killed since the agreement took effect in October.
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