Israel strikes Gaza killing at least three including child as Netanyahu threatens escalation over kites and balloons

Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza on August 23, 2026 killed at least three Palestinians, including four-year-old Mohammad Abdel-Salam Taha and Hamas commander Ismail Abu Ful. The strikes followed the launch of four non-explosive kites from Gaza into Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to intensify attacks and evacuate Gazan launch sites, declaring a zero-tolerance policy that treats kites as armed drones. Hamas rejected the threats, calling the kites children's toys and accusing Israel of fabricating pretexts to violate the ceasefire.

Israeli airstrikes kill three

• ▪Israeli airstrikes in the central Gaza Strip on August 23, 2026 killed at least three Palestinians, including a four-year-old boy named Mohammad Abdel-Salam Taha.
• ▪An Israeli airstrike on a warehouse in the town of az-Zawayda on August 23, 2026 injured at least six people and killed four-year-old Mohammad Abdel-Salam Taha via flying shrapnel.
• ▪An Israeli airstrike near the Maghazi refugee camp on August 23, 2026 killed Ismail Abu Ful, whom the Israel Defense Forces identified as a Hamas arms production commander.

Kite launches from Gaza

• ▪At least four kites were flown from the Gaza Strip to Kibbutz Nahal Oz over the weekend of August 22-23, 2026, prompting an inspection by the Israel Defense Forces.
• ▪The Israel Defense Forces stated that no suspicious findings or explosives were identified on the kites recovered near Kibbutz Nahal Oz over the weekend of August 22-23, 2026.

Netanyahu zero-tolerance policy

• ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hamas on August 23, 2026 that the military will intensify targeted strikes and evacuate Gazan populations if kite, balloon, and drone launches do not cease immediately.
• ▪Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to treat any kite or balloon crossing from Gaza as a drone, regardless of whether it carries explosives, and to adopt a policy of zero tolerance.

Hamas pretext accusations

• ▪Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem accused Israel of fabricating pretexts and using children's kites as an excuse to justify the escalation of military attacks and violate the ceasefire framework.
• ▪Hamas official Bassem Naim stated that Israel is planning to deal harshly with paper airplanes launched by children searching for their childhood amid the rubble of Gaza.

Ongoing Israeli occupation

• ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a phased withdrawal from Gaza proposed by US President Donald Trump, insisting that the military will not withdraw until Hamas fully disarms.
• ▪Palestinian political analyst Hussam Shaheen questioned the security threat of paper kites, noting that the Israeli military still controls seventy percent of the Gaza Strip.

5 sources