'The ultimatum has expired,' DM Katz warns balloons and kites from Gaza will be treated as acts of terrorism
The warning follows a series of incendiary balloon and kite launches from Gaza toward southern Israeli communities, a tactic used to burn agricultural land and start fires in Israeli border towns
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that Israel's ultimatum over incendiary balloon and kite launches from Gaza toward southern Israeli communities has expired, warning that any future launch will be treated as an act of terrorism and met with a powerful military response.
Defense Minister Israel Katz made the announcement during a situation assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the head of the IDF's Air Defense Command, and other senior defense officials.
"The ultimatum we set following the launch of balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip toward the Negev communities has expired," Katz said. "We made it clear that from our perspective, any launch is a terrorist act in every sense of the word, and that is how we will treat it."
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Katz said any future launch would be met with a strong response targeting those responsible, including organizers and perpetrators, as well as the launch sites and supporting infrastructure. He said the IDF, acting on instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and himself, would use all necessary tools to confront what he called centers of terror, including evacuating populations from areas or neighborhoods used to carry out launches.
"We will not allow Hamas or any other party to return to the methods of intimidation and threats against the southern communities as they did before October 7, and whoever does so will pay a heavy price," Katz said.
The warning follows a series of incendiary balloon and kite launches from Gaza toward southern Israeli communities in recent weeks, a tactic used extensively by Palestinian militants in the years before October 7, 2023, to burn agricultural land and start fires in Israeli border towns.