Israel accuses Gaza of launching balloons and kites; responds with airstrikes
Israel conducted airstrikes in the Gaza Strip following reports of balloons, kites, and drones being launched into Israeli territory. The strikes resulted in civilian casualties, including a child, while Hamas accused Israel of using the launches as a pretext for escalation.
Why it matters
The incident marks a volatile escalation in the ongoing conflict, highlighting the cycle of retaliatory violence and the humanitarian impact on civilians.
At least two people, including a four-year-old boy, were killed and seven others wounded in two Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.This comes as Israel threatened to intensify attacks following what it said were launches of balloons, drones and kites from Gaza towards Israel.One of the strikes hit a building in the central town of Zawayda after the Israeli army warned the property’s owners to evacuate, residents said.Medics said flying debris and shrapnel scattered over an area spanning dozens of metres, injuring at least six people, including four-year-old Mohammad Abdel-Salam Taha, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital.“There is no ceasefire, there is nothing,” said Abu Ahmed, a displaced Palestinian sheltering near the building, which the airstrike reduced to a pile of mangled steel and concrete."We want solutions, we want to live in peace," he added, as cited by Reuters.The second airstrike struck the nearby Nuseirat refugee…
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