The IDF carried out strikes in the Shati refugee camp deep inside the Gaza Strip on Monday, targeting Hamas infrastructure and weapons-storage facilities, amid growing Israeli concern over the reappearance of kites launched from Gaza toward communities near the border.
The targets were located beyond the “yellow line,” which marks the boundary of the area where Israeli forces are currently deployed inside Gaza.
Aftermath of Israeli airstrike in Shati refugee camp
Ahead of the strikes, evacuation warnings were delivered by telephone to several sites in the area, including an elementary school operated by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, a medical center run by Doctors Without Borders and a compound belonging to the International Rescue Committee.
Palestinians reported that a mosque and a water desalination facility were among the sites struck. There was no immediate information on casualties.
Kites revive memories of prewar threat
At least five kites have been found in recent days in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and Kibbutz Nahal Oz, Israeli communities near the Gaza border. None was carrying incendiary material or explosives.
Authorities believe the kites were launched from the northern Gaza Strip. They carried various messages written in Arabic, including one declaring, “We will never calm down,” in what Israeli officials viewed as an attempt at psychological terror.
One of several kites found across the Gaza border region
(Photo: Yogev Oknin)
Preliminary IDF assessments indicate that children and teenagers launched the kites. Israeli officials say they did so under instructions from Hamas commanders.
The incidents have revived memories among some residents of southern Israel of the years before the current war, when incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza initially appeared to pose a limited threat but eventually became a persistent problem, igniting widespread fires in Israeli agricultural fields and nature reserves near the border.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held a security assessment Sunday to discuss the issue.
“Israel warns Hamas that if the launches toward Israel do not stop immediately, the IDF will step up targeted operations against those responsible for the launches and evacuate populations from areas from which kites, drones and balloons are launched,” a statement issued after the meeting said.
“Israel will not allow the Hamas terrorist organization or any other element in the Gaza Strip to once again threaten our communities and undermine our citizens’ sense of security,” it added.
Israel presses Hamas to disarm
The developments come as the second phase of a plan for Gaza’s reconstruction has yet to formally begin and Israel continues to insist that Hamas disarm.
Southern Command continues to carry out targeted operations inside Gaza, though on a more limited and focused basis. The military says threats to troops along the yellow line are neutralized when detected.
Under current IDF policy, people identified as having participated in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel can be targeted without requiring additional special authorization, according to Israeli officials.
The military said two Hamas terrorists were killed overnight in the Deir al-Balah area of central Gaza under that policy.