On Tuesday, August 25th, 2026, the US-led board supervising the Gaza peace plan issued a warning to Hamas to halt all militant activities in Gaza, explicitly including the flying of kites. This warning followed Israeli threats of retaliatory strikes if Hamas launched kites, drones, or balloons into Israeli territory.

"All militant activity in Gaza must stop, including the flying of kites. We have conveyed this message directly through the established mechanism," said an official from President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace," speaking on condition of anonymity. The official emphasized that "military action cannot extend beyond responding to genuine and imminent threats."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier warned Hamas on Sunday that Israel would intensify operations in Gaza if such activities continued. The threat came after a series of kites were reportedly found across the Gaza border in southern Israel, an area still traumatized by the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023. Israeli media reported at least one kite carrying a political message, though the latest kites were not known to have explosives.

Since these incidents, Israel has slightly expanded its operations into Gaza and maintained airstrikes, which have resulted in the deaths of 1,288 Palestinians, according to health authorities under Hamas. These figures are generally considered reliable by the United Nations. On Monday, Gaza authorities reported that Israeli fire killed at least five people, including two children.

The Board of Peace also called on Israel to comply with the ceasefire agreement, limiting military responses to genuine and imminent threats. In response to the threat of expulsion over children's kite flying, a statement declared, "I hope we can all agree that this is outrageous," highlighting the contentious nature of the issue.

The situation remains tense as both sides navigate the fragile ceasefire and ongoing security concerns.

Sources