Board of Peace Warns Both Israel and Hamas Over Gaza Ceasefire Compliance Amid Kite Dispute

August 25, 2026 — In a rare public rebuke, an official from the US-backed Board of Peace overseeing the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire told Reuters that "all militant activity in Gaza must stop, including the flying of kites," but also warned Israel that "military action cannot extend beyond responding to genuine and imminent threats," after Israel complained to the Board about roughly a dozen incendiary kites and four balloons that crossed into Israeli border communities during August (the military said nothing dangerous was found attached). Gaza's local popular committees, which run displacement camps, urged parents to stop children flying kites to avoid giving Israel a pretext for renewed strikes. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Israel's pursuit of Oct 7 suspects "continues" and it "will take every opportunity to eliminate threats," while US officials voiced concern that Israel's elastic definition of "imminent threat" risked undermining the Board's disarmament-and-withdrawal roadmap. A Hamas official said the group has told mediators Israel is using "fake pretexts" to keep striking Gaza.