UN Condemns Israeli Threat to Displace Gaza Residents Over Children’s Kite Flying

UN rights office spokesperson criticizes Israeli threat of forced evacuations from Gaza communities over kite flying.

Published On 26 Aug 202626 Aug 2026

The United Nations has strongly criticized Israel’s threat to forcibly displace Palestinians from parts of the besieged Gaza Strip after children were spotted flying kites in those areas.

“On the threat of expulsion due to children’s kite flying, I hope we can all agree that this is outrageous,” said Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN rights office, speaking to journalists on Tuesday.

Israel issued a warning to Hamas on Sunday, stating that it would escalate military operations if kites, drones, or balloons continued to be launched, asserting that those responsible would face direct consequences.

Over the past month, several kites without explosive attachments have drifted into southern Israeli communities. These incidents have drawn comparisons to the incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza in 2018, which Palestinians described as protests against the blockade of the enclave.

In a joint statement on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that “Israel warns Hamas that if the launches toward Israel do not stop immediately,” Israeli forces “will act to intensify targeted operations against those responsible.” The statement also indicated that Israel planned to “evacuate the population from areas from which kites, drones, and balloons are launched.”

Coordinating with Hamas authorities, Gaza’s popular committees appealed to parents on Monday to prevent children from flying kites, citing concerns over the safety of young lives.

“Every summer, my child, Ahmed, along with other neighborhood kids, flies kites just for fun,” said Umm Mohammed, a resident of Gaza City, speaking to the Reuters news agency. “But this year, I will not let him do it anymore.”

Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, rejected Israel’s stance on the kite flyers.

“Is it believable that efforts to accommodate the so-called war criminal Netanyahu have turned innocent children’s playtime activities into militant acts, all while Netanyahu continues to kill and destroy daily despite the truce?”

This latest tension arises against the backdrop of a fragile “ceasefire” in Gaza that has failed to prevent ongoing Israeli airstrikes. Since the ceasefire began in October, over 1,280 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

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