President Isaac Herzog on Monday said that Israel cannot underestimate the concerns of Gaza border community residents after the launching of kites from the Strip over the weekend, while visiting one of the kibbutzim ravaged by the October 7, 2023, massacre.

Herzog told residents that he understood how any kite seen in the sky could spark feelings of unease among the communities, while speaking at the ribbon-cutting of an AI center on Kibbutz Nir Oz.

“After October 7, the State of Israel cannot underestimate any sign or any concern from border residents, but it also can’t allow any kite to return the Gaza Strip to October 6. The State of Israel is here, watching, alert, and defending,” he said.

“I also told Jared Kushner last week that I thank them for their efforts, but let it be clear, the security of border residents must stand at the heart of any arrangement on the future of Gaza,” he said, noting the visit of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and envoy to the region last week, which ended without a breakthrough in talks on disarming Hamas and moving toward the second and reconstruction-focused phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

“Nir Oz residents no longer need to stand in front of the border and ask themselves the meaning of everything that flies in the sky. This is the responsibility of the state. To see, to know, to prevent, and to defend,” Herzog said. “It is also the responsibility of the international community, the member countries of the Board of Peace, to internalize and understand this principle.”

At least four kites were flown from Gaza to Kibbutz Nahal Oz over the weekend. The army said nothing suspicious was found on the kites and there was no danger to the public, but many have associated the objects with the kites and balloons carrying incendiary devices that were........

© The Times of Israel