A four-year-old child was among three Palestinians killed in Israeli air attacks in central Gaza on Sunday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to escalate attacks over the alleged launching of paper kites from the war-torn enclave. On Sunday, Israel fired missiles at a warehouse in az-Zawayda, reducing it to rubble, and then carried out strikes near Salah al-Din Street, killing four-year-old Muhammad Abdel Salam Taha. Israeli drone attacks also targeted southern Khan Younis and a tent sheltering displaced people at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, resulting in more casualties.
Standing amid the destruction in az-Zawayda, witness Abu Ahmed expressed widespread despair over the relentless violence. We want solutions; we want to live in peace,” he said. The deadly bombardment comes as Palestinian and Israeli affairs experts warn that the government is fabricating a security crisis around children’s toys to derail ceasefire agreements, enforce demographic changes and ensure Netanyahu’s political survival.
After the attack, Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement on Sunday threatening severe retaliation over the toys. They also threatened the forced displacement of Palestinians from areas “used as launch sites for kites, drones and balloons”. The attacks came despite the Israeli military acknowledging that the recovered kites contained no explosives and were simply flown by children.
While the joint statement cited “kites, drones, and balloons”, military inspections confirmed finding only 10 paper kites – all completely free of explosives and flown by children in displacement camps. Palestinian political analyst Hussam Shaheen told Al Jazeera that claims regarding drones being launched from Gaza are fabricated. It has been denied, and there is no evidence whatsoever to prove any connection to drones,” he said.
Adel Shadid, an expert on Israeli affairs, told Al Jazeera that the threat is entirely manufactured by Hebrew media under the direction of the military establishment. Analysts highlighted the absurdity of Israel’s claims regarding the toys. He further noted the logistical impossibility of the Israeli narrative, pointing out that displaced Palestinians are flying these kites in camps surrounded by invading forces.
The sudden escalation coincides with Israel’s rejection of a United States-backed 15-point ceasefire roadmap that Hamas had already accepted, prompting experts to link the violence directly to the upcoming October elections. Shaheen highlighted how the political establishment relies on violence for votes, noting that Palestinians are historically used as an electoral card. Experts emphasise that inflating the threat of paper kites serves a darker strategic goal of reshaping demographic realities on the ground.
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