Israel warns of 'forceful' response to kites flown from Gaza

Israel has warned Hamas that it will increase strikes on Gaza following concern over launches of kites, drones and balloons from the territory. Several kites were found in an Israeli community near the border with Gaza over the weekend, local media reported. "Forceful actions will be taken to put an end to this phenomenon," Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday. Before the war, kites and balloons carrying incendiary devices were launched into Israel, causing fires that burned forest and farmland. Hamas has denied responsibility for the new kites - which were not carrying explosives - and said they belonged to "children searching for their innocent childhood amid the rubble". The group also accused Israel of using the kites as a "pretext" for continued air strikes in Gaza despite the ceasefire agreed last October. Four kites were found in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, which is about 800m (2,620ft) from the Gaza border, on Friday and Saturday. Several more were found elsewhere in southern Israel last week, according to local media. The Israeli reports cited military sources as saying they believed Hamas was behind the kites and that they might have been intended to test Israel's r