Israel must remember the danger carried by Gaza kites, Hamas dictating tempo at border - editorial

Kites from Gaza have crossed into Israel over the past week, reviving memories of the pre-October 7 incendiary kite campaign. The IDF is taking the incidents seriously but has adopted a "wait and see" approach, which the editorial argues is a dangerous repetition of past failures. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz warned Hamas that continued launches would bring an increased Israeli response, with Katz insisting Israel will not return to the pre-October 7 reality. The editorial calls for concrete action to stop the trend before it escalates.

Kites from Gaza have crossed into Israel over the past week, reviving memories of the pre-October 7 incendiary kite campaign that burned thousands of acres of fields and forests in southern Israel. The IDF has recovered at least six kites, none carrying explosives, and believes Palestinian youth aged 12-13 are being used to launch them, likely at Hamas's direction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hamas on Sunday that continued launches would bring an increased Israeli response. Katz went further, insisting Israel would not return to the pre-October 7 reality. The editorial criticizes the IDF's "wait and see" approach, arguing that Israel must stop the trend before it escalates. It notes that in 2018, what began as primitive kites developed into an organized campaign that Israel struggled to contain for years. The editorial calls for clear procedures for detecting and intercepting anything crossing from Gaza, and for Hamas to understand that the old rules no longer exist. The framing relies on the October 7 massacre as a cautionary tale against allowing Hamas to determine the border tempo.