Israeli Strikes Kill Three in Gaza, Minister Threatens Deportation Over Kite Launches
Al Jazeera Staff
Three Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, even as a US-brokered ceasefire continues. Israel's defense minister reiterated threats to deport residents from areas where kites or balloons are launched.
At least three Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, according to local health and media sources. The strikes coincided with a statement by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterating his threat to deport Palestinians from any area in Gaza where kites are launched.
A Palestinian was killed and several others were injured in an Israeli attack on a tent sheltering displaced people in western Gaza City, according to a source at Al-Shifa Hospital. An Israeli drone also struck tents for displaced persons in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, killing one person and wounding several, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. Additionally, an Israeli drone targeted an electric bicycle near the al-Sinaa junction west of Gaza City, killing one person and wounding several, one critically.
The attacks continued despite the US-mediated ceasefire that took effect in October 2025. While major military operations halted under the agreement, deadly Israeli airstrikes have persisted.
The Israeli military said the latest strikes in Khan Younis targeted Hamas fighters. In a post on X, it claimed that a Hamas commander involved in holding three Israeli hostages had been eliminated. The Palestinian Authority accused Israel of undermining efforts to implement US President Donald Trump's broader plan to end the war in Gaza, which includes full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory and disarmament of Hamas.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Katz reiterated the threat to deport Palestinians from areas where kites or balloons are launched. He made the statement during a high-level security meeting with Israeli military Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir and other senior officials. “At the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and myself, the Israeli military will use every necessary tool, including relocating Gaza residents from any area or neighborhood where [kite and balloon] launches occur,” Katz said.
Earlier, Katz said in a post on X: “A balloon and a kite will be treated like a drone – with or without explosives,” prompting many Palestinian parents to keep their children from flying kites. Lieutenant General Zamir said Tuesday that plans to demilitarize Gaza and disarm Hamas “by any necessary means” would proceed despite recent US efforts to advance the ceasefire.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,300 Palestinians and injured more than 4,000 since the ceasefire took effect. The Israeli military reported five soldiers killed in the same period, along with one civilian contractor. In total, more than 73,400 Palestinians have been killed and over 174,400 wounded in Israeli attacks since the war began in October 2023.
