Kite terror has returned to haunt Israeli communities along the Gaza Envelope, but the real issue extends far beyond the airborne devices themselves. A consistent, unyielding equation governs all confrontations with our adversaries: in every arena where we project hesitation, paralysis, or weakness, we take a direct hit.
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The primary question the Defense Minister and top IDF brass must confront is how Israeli policy has operated in the Gaza Strip over the past month. Public discourse has focused extensively on self-imposed constraints—restricting targeted strikes, limiting offensive fire, and tightening rules of engagement. From Hamas’s operational vantage point, the takeaway is unmistakable: Israel has slipped back into complacency. Once the terror group detects that signal, systematic harassment resumes. Today it manifests as incendiary kites, but security leaders cannot afford to dismiss this as merely another isolated nuisance. Intelligence warnings regarding Gaza remain acute. Defense officials must urgently treat these kites as a tactical smokescreen—designed to fixate Israeli attention on low-tech distractions while terror factions prepare far more severe operations.
Kites cannot be treated as a localized nuisance | Photo: Chaim Goldberg / Flash90 (Used in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law)
Ultimately, the challenge is not simply neutralizing each incoming kite in midair, but changing what Hamas calculates from Israel’s posture. The moment the enemy perceives hesitation, they will ruthlessly exploit it.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held a comprehensive security assessment on Sunday evening regarding the emerging threat of drone, balloon, and kite launches from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli territory. The high-level meeting included IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Head of the National Security Council (NSC), and top IDF brass.
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Israel delivered an explicit ultimatum to Hamas, warning that if airborne launches toward Israeli communities do not cease immediately, the IDF will ramp up targeted assassinations against all operatives and commanders responsible for the attacks and will mandate immediate civilian evacuations from any Gaza sector where drones, kites, or balloons are launched.
Photo: Prime Minister’s Media Office
The Prime Minister emphasized that Israel will never permit a return to the security reality that existed prior to October 7. Israel will not allow the Hamas terror organization or any other faction inside the Gaza Strip to resume threatening Israeli communities or eroding the security and daily life of its citizens.
The Samaria Regional Council announced it will open a religious technological high school for girls at Havat Yair, serving students in grades 9 through 12. The school will begin operating at the start of the upcoming school year in temporary buildings, later moving to its permanent location at Havat Yair. The Amit network will run the new institution after winning a tender issued by the council. The move aims to expand educational options in Judea and Samaria and tailor them to the diverse needs of students in the region.
Judea and Samaria, Archive | Photo: Samaria Regional Council
The new framework was created to provide a dedicated educational option for girls who want to study in a high school setting rather than an ulpana, a religious seminary for girls. The school will emphasize discovering each student’s personal strengths, empowerment, and open dialogue, alongside individual mentoring and emotional and social support. Zahava Tamir will head the high school. She has experience in education, working with at-risk youth, and leading pedagogical programs in the Amit network. Tamir is a doctoral candidate at Ben-Gurion University, holds a master’s degree from Beit Berl, and a bachelor’s degree from Orot College.
Samaria Governor Yossi Dagan welcomed the opening of the high school, noting it represents a professional model that looks first and foremost at the student and her abilities. He thanked his deputy, who holds the education portfolio, Davidi Ben Zion, education department director Tal Navoni, and the Amit network. Dr. Amnon Eldar, CEO of the Amit network, thanked the Samaria Regional Council for its trust and emphasized the network’s commitment to translating the educational vision into advancing each student on the ground.
Turkey and Greece aren’t exactly friends, but they seem to have found common ground this time around. Turkish media published a warning to Cyprus on Sunday claiming Israel is trying to take control of the island. While it’s no surprise that the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet—which frequently attacks Israel—would run such a story, the paper specifically highlighted research published in Greek media. That research argues the Israeli presence on the island can no longer be explained simply by economic investment, but rather as a “silent settlement.”
Photo: Shutterstock
Turkish outlets emphasized that Israelis have become one of the most significant groups of foreign buyers in Larnaca, Limassol, and Paphos. Larnaca, in particular, was described as one of the areas where the change in Israeli presence is most pronounced. Beyond real estate investments, the expansion of social, commercial, and religious infrastructure for the Israeli and Jewish community was also highlighted as a central issue. According to the research, the opening of schools, Chabad houses (which they called places of worship), businesses, and the establishment of various infrastructures serving the needs of the Jewish community should make it clear to Cyprus that Israelis have come to stay. Finally, both countries claimed warnings have been voiced that if the current situation continues, it could damage public acceptance of relations between Israel and Cyprus among the local population.
Photo: From the Twitter/X account of Defteri Anaynosi
The Greek research comes after a billboard for Gadi Eisenkot and the Yesh! party was recently spotted on the Mediterranean island. The billboard, written in Hebrew, featured a photo of Eisenkot alongside the text: “Israelis, drive safely. You deserve it.” The ad, apparently aimed at the thousands of Israelis staying in Cyprus, sparked widespread reactions on social media and in local media. At the center of the debate was the question of whether it’s appropriate to allow a foreign country’s election campaign on Cypriot soil, especially at a time when the number of Israelis on the island is particularly high.
Signing of the military agreement with Greece and Cyprus | Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
This isn’t the first time Turkey has warned Cyprus in one way or another. Back in May, Turkish media published an antisemitic warning to the Cypriot government that their island is being gradually conquered by the Israeli masses. Turkey made this claim following several Israeli real estate companies that began secretly buying abandoned Cypriot villages as complete real estate blocks. The Turkish warning cited an antisemitic report claiming an Israeli real estate company prevented local residents from reaching a church in one of the abandoned villages—a report that was later clarified as “fake” because the church in question was in the middle of a construction site and access was restricted for safety reasons.
The deserted village of Trozena in Cyprus | Photo: Shutterstock
Nevertheless, the report succeeded in creating a bad reputation and led to numerous posts on social media among Cypriots who wrote that “Jews are not allowed to enter our village, they will destroy our church.” It’s also important to note that the village in question was abandoned in the 1980s and has no electricity, water infrastructure, or usable roads. Relations between Turkey and Cyprus are defined by a deep territorial conflict that began with the Turkish invasion in 1974, which split the island into an internationally recognized Greek south and a Turkish north recognized only by Ankara. Due to the strengthening strategic and security alliance between Cyprus and Israel, Turkey is trying with all its might to damage a relationship it sees as a direct threat to its influence in the region.
An alert IDF soldier shot and neutralized an Arab terrorist who attempted to snatch his firearm at Rimonim Junction in the Binyamin Brigade sector of Judea and Samaria, the IDF confirmed.
The attacker charged the soldier in an attempt to seize his weapon, but the soldier responded instantly with precise fire, eliminating the immediate threat before additional IDF reinforcement units secured the junction. No Israeli soldiers were injured in the thwarted attack. The incident at Rimonim Junction capped an intensive weekend of offensive counter-terror operations across the Binyamin sector, led by the elite Duvdevan unit.
IDF Forces in Jenin, archive | photo by: IDF Spokespersons Unit
Operating under precise intelligence, Duvdevan commandos apprehended four wanted terror suspects who were actively advancing imminent terror plots across Judea and Samaria. According to the IDF, the detainees include two operatives affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) and an operative affiliated with Hamas. During the raids, Israeli forces also uncovered and confiscated three M16 assault rifles. All four terror operatives and the seized weaponry were transferred to the Shin Bet (ISA) for interrogation.
An employee at a McDonald’s branch in Cannon Hill, Brisbane, Australia, was suspended after allegedly harassing two Israeli youths and shouting aggressive anti-Israel abuse at them.
Photo: Reuters
According to a report in Australia’s The Courier-Mail, the two young Israelis approached the counter after discovering a missing item from their order. According to one of the youths, the routine interaction rapidly deteriorated into a hostile confrontation as the employee began acting aggressively toward them. The youths stated that during the altercation, the employee shouted “Free ‘Palestine’” and explicitly called them “baby killers.” Following the incident, the restaurant management suspended the worker from duty, and an internal investigation into the altercation is currently underway.
Yisrael Beiteinu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman attacked the government Sunday over the return of kite and balloon terror from Gaza. Liberman recalled that two weeks before the October 7 attack, he wrote about the return of explosive balloons: “No wonder when you have a government of clowns, the balloons came back.” Now, nearly three years later, Liberman wrote: “The same clowns, the same conception,” referring to the government’s policy toward renewed threats from the Strip.The criticism comes after Liberman joined opposition faction leaders during hostage deal negotiations in calling to advance a framework that included a full withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza and their return to the fence line.
Avigdor Liberman | Photo: Flash90
Today, a buffer zone known as “the Yellow Zone” separates parts of Gaza from communities near the border, where the IDF maintains control. Control of the area is designed to keep threats away from communities and create an additional defensive space along the border.Control of the territory has been maintained despite positions presented at various times by Liberman, Gadi Eisenkot, Benny Gantz, and Naftali Bennett, who supported hostage deal frameworks that included a broader withdrawal of IDF forces from inside the Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the recent launches of kites and drones from the Gaza Strip toward communities in the western Negev and Gaza border area today (Sunday), warning of the danger posed by the small aircraft. According to him, even a hobby drone can become a lethal weapon when armed and launched as part of a drone swarm. “You have a drone at home? It can be no less lethal if it comes in swarms,” Netanyahu said. “They arm it, it’s very accurate, hard to see.”
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The prime minister noted that Israel has been working for several years on developing a response to the drone threat, which he defined as a global problem. According to him, the use of drones has been prominent in various combat zones in recent years, and now there’s an attempt to introduce the threat into the Gaza Strip as well. “We’ve been working on a solution to the drone problem for several years. We’re the most advanced in the world, but it’s a global problem,” Netanyahu said. “We saw it in Ukraine, we saw it in Lebanon, we saw it in Iran, and now they’re trying to renew it and bring it into Gaza.”
Photo: Flash90
Against the backdrop of the threat, Netanyahu revealed the directive he passed to the security establishment and the IDF: to act against the drones themselves, against those operating them, and against the locations from which they’re launched. “My directive to the security establishment and the IDF is to do everything against this lethal tool—to strike it, to strike its operators, to strike the place from which it’s launched,” the prime minister clarified. “To do everything to protect our citizens, in the border area and everywhere else.”
Photo: Chaim Goldberg / Flash90
Earlier, Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed Israeli forces to act with great force and immediately against the phenomenon of launching balloons, kites, and drones from the Gaza Strip. The minister’s directive comes against the backdrop of attempts by terror organizations in the Strip to renew aerial terror, as the security establishment views every such launch as an attempt to test the alertness of forces in the field and harm the security of residents. As part of the new directives, the security establishment ordered taking all necessary steps to eliminate the threat, including targeted elimination of Hamas leaders and the terrorists responsible for the launches, evacuation of neighborhoods and areas across the Strip from which the launches are carried out, and decisive offensive activity against terror infrastructure at the site.
Photo by: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90
The defense minister made clear that Israel will not tolerate any harm to the continuity of life for residents of the south, and emphasized that every launch will be considered a military action in every respect. Katz noted that a balloon is treated like a kite and a kite is treated like a drone, with or without explosives, and made unequivocally clear that Israeli forces will not allow a return to the reality that preceded October 7, and that anyone who launched, organized, or enabled the launches will be dealt with immediately and with full severity. The remarks came after reports arrived this morning of another kite detected in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, while border area residents are warning of long wires attached to the devices and cautioning about Hamas attempts to test flight paths similar to Hezbollah’s model.
Following an intensive eight-hour manhunt across the Jordan Valley sector, elite Duvdevan special forces, operating alongside the Shin Bet and IDF security units, successfully tracked down and captured the terrorist responsible for the stabbing attack on Route 90.
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The assailant had ambushed and stabbed IDF career soldier Elhanan Hananya earlier Sunday near the Arab village of Al-Auja as Hananya stood outside his car during a family trip. Hananya, who fought off the attacker to shield his pregnant wife and young daughters, sustained moderate wounds. Immediately following the terror attack, Israeli forces launched widespread encirclement operations, roadblocks, and intelligence sweeps across Jericho and surrounding Arab villages in Judea and Samaria. The joint operational effort culminated in Duvdevan commandos closing in on the suspect, taking him into custody for interrogation without incident.
Why did the campaigns of Likud primary candidates this year focus so intensely on Judea and Samaria, and why did the fabricated “siege” narrative in Qusra reach the UN with such velocity? Above all lies the question of questions: Will an October 7th-style assault emerge from Judea and Samaria? There is no need for speculation when we can dive directly into the facts on the ground.
Photo: Ein Ganim-Kadim Pioneer Group
Summary of the Likud Primaries: “I Too Acted on the Ground in Judea and Samaria”
Anyone who closely tracked the campaigns of candidates in the Likud primaries could not miss the near-total focus on Judea and Samaria. This was especially pronounced among Ministers Shlomo Karhi, Miri Regev, Idit Silman, and Nir Barkat, and was echoed by Knesset Members Ariel Kallner, Avihai Boaron, Amit Halevi, and others. They all recognized the spirit of the era: the right-wing public and party members are no longer satisfied with vague rhetoric—they demand a firm foothold on the ground, the application of full sovereignty, and an uncompromising war against terror. Judea and Samaria has become the ultimate litmus test of the national camp, to the point where anyone not actively engaged there simply ceases to be relevant.
Kadim | Photo: Hillel Ben Or / Flash90
The International Arena: Blood Libels and Consciousness Warfare
Parallel to the domestic political scene, Judea and Samaria now occupies the epicenter of the diplomatic struggle: after the campaign run by anti-Israel organizations exhausted its crocodile tears over Gaza (“killing children,” “they have no food,” “rain is falling on them”), it recalculated and pivoted entirely to Judea and Samaria. The events in the village of Qusra serve as a distilled example: even though it quickly became obvious to anyone examining the facts that this was a fabricated blood libel—with zero siege and no factual basis whatsoever—the international community rushed to express shock and issue automatic condemnations. This knee-jerk reaction by world nations to single out and accuse Israel proves that Judea and Samaria is no longer treated as a secondary theater, but has become the primary consciousness battleground where hostile entities fight against Israeli legitimacy by any means, no matter how false. And who steps up as the “useful idiots”? Naturally, the leftist mouthpieces who rush to report every scrap of enemy propaganda as established fact.
Photo: Flash90
“October 7th Judea and Samaria Edition”: The Realization of the Scenario Is Only a Matter of Time
Beyond politics and diplomacy lies the true existential question—which drove the creation of the new documentary film, “October 7th: The Judea and Samaria Edition.” For many across Israel, the threat of a large-scale invasion launching from Arab population centers in Judea and Samaria is not a distant nightmare, but a reality that has gnawed at their minds for three years. Anyone with an intimate knowledge of the terrain understands that a scenario in which tens of thousands of armed “Palestinian” Authority security forces breach fences to invade neighboring Jewish communities and major cities in central Israel is not a question of “if,” but “when.” In the film—dedicated entirely to the memory of fallen Israeli hero Binyahu Melet, may God avenge his blood (who is also interviewed in the work)—chilling footage and classified documents reveal how the disastrous Oslo Accords birthed an armed, trained, and dangerous terror army right under the nose of the security establishment.
When synthesizing these three critical pillars—politics, diplomacy, and security—the resulting picture is undeniable: since October 7th, the center of gravity of the State of Israel has permanently relocated.
In Politics: Judea and Samaria serves as the ideological and electoral compass determining the leadership of the Likud and, by extension, the direction of the entire national camp.
In Foreign Affairs: Judea and Samaria is the primary frontline where a global consciousness battle is waged against the Jewish state based on calculated falsehoods—it is no longer just about Gaza!
In Security: Judea and Samaria represents the next major strategic threat that has yet to be uprooted from the core, and the enemy is fully aware of this reality.
The time has come to stop viewing Judea and Samaria as an isolated dilemma or a peripheral issue. The historic lands of Judea and Samaria are the vital political, security, and diplomatic heart of the State of Israel. The decisive steps we take there today will shape our national future.
