ALBAWABA – Four mystery kites found near the Israeli communities of Nahal Oz and Be’eri near the Gaza Strip have aroused security worries with police investigating if they could have been deployed for surveillance.
Kites crossed from Gaza into Israel in a 24-hour span, Israel’s Channel 12 said. Initial checks uncovered no explosives or incendiary materials, but the devices' odd design has sparked more research.
Israeli military officials, however, have not confirmed the kites were launched from Gaza, leaving the source and aim unclear.
Questions Raised by Kilometer Long Strings
The strangest thing was the length of their rope. Israeli media said two of the kites had strings between two and four kilometers long.
Security officials are said to be looking into whether the kites could have been used to scout wind direction, prospective landing sites or the speed of the Israeli forces’ response.
Authorities have not said whether any cameras, transmitters or other tracking technology were attached to the devices, so the idea of intelligence-gathering remains unproven.
Memories of Gaza’s Arson Kites
The finding has also recalled memories of incendiary kites and balloons fired out of Gaza in the past, including during the border protests in 2018.
Those cheap gadgets moved burning materials into Israeli territory, sparking hundreds of fires and destroying significant swaths of farmland.
The Israeli media has previously reported that Hamas has also been experimenting with kites carrying cameras to observe military installations near Gaza.
Israeli police are looking into the meaning of the recent discovery, whether it was innocent behavior, an attempt to acquire intelligence, or preparations for the resuming use of airborne explosives along the Gaza border.
