A young boy in Gaza broke down in tears and tore apart the paper kites he had made after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that “a kite is like a drone” and ordered the military to act against kites and balloons coming from the Gaza Strip.

Muhammad Ahmad al-Mufti was seen crying in a viral video as he destroyed his kites after hearing about Israeli threats over kites reaching communities near the Gaza border.

Gaza Relief Committee’s Eyad Amawi told an international media outlet that al-Mufti’s father was killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid.

As he tore the kites apart, the boy mocked Israeli leaders he blamed for the threats.

“So that Netanyahu is satisfied,” he said. “So that Katz is satisfied. So that Trump is satisfied.”

“They want to deprive us of the thing we love,” al-Mufti said while crying. “I swear my heart is breaking.”

The incident came after Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to escalate military action and evacuate Palestinians from residential areas if kites, balloons or drones continued to be launched from Gaza.

Katz had earlier ordered the military to act “immediately and forcefully” against kites and balloons coming from Gaza.

“A balloon is like a kite, and a kite is like a drone, whether it carries explosives or not,” Katz said.

The threats came despite the Israeli military acknowledging that kites recovered near the Gaza border contained no suspicious material and posed no danger to the public.

The Israeli army said that four kites had been found near the Nahal Oz community over about 24 hours. After examining them, the army said that “No suspicious materials were found” and that they “Posed no danger to the public.”

The military did not provide evidence that the kites had been deliberately sent towards Israeli territory.

Israel has continued to carry out violations of the ceasefire in Gaza that took effect on October 10, 2025. According to Palestine Health Ministry data, the violations have killed 1,286 people and wounded 4,257.

Israel launched its genocide on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 73,000 Palestinians and wounding over 174,000, while around 90 percent of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure has been devastated.