Israel has threatened to intensify strikes on Gaza after kites, drones and balloons were spotted crossing the border from the territory, with Defence Minister Israel Katz warning of "forceful actions" and "zero tolerance" for the phenomenon. Before the war, incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza caused fires that damaged Israeli forest and farmland, so the sightings have alarmed border communities even though officials say none of the recent kites carried explosives or posed a threat. Hamas has denied responsibility, saying the kites belong to displaced children, and accused Israel of using them as a pretext to continue strikes despite the ceasefire agreed last October.

Four kites were found in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, roughly 800m from the border, over the weekend, with further sightings reported elsewhere in southern Israel; Israeli military sources suspect Hamas may be testing Israel's response. Residents of Nahal Oz said they would not accept a "policy of containment" regarding their security. Separately, Israeli strikes over the weekend killed several Palestinians in central Gaza, including a four-year-old boy, with the military saying it targeted a Hamas weapons site commander and a fighter linked to the 7 October 2023 attack. According to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, more than 74,420 people have died in Israeli attacks since the war began, including 1,288 since the ceasefire took effect.