Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hamas in a joint statement Sunday that if it continued flying kites into Israel, the IDF would evacuate the launch sites and intensify strikes, stressing that Israel would never return to the pre-Oct. 7 status quo and that the Israeli government would never allow Hamas or any other terror group to threaten the safety of Israelis again.

Four kites were flown into Israel over the weekend, landing in Kibbutz Nir Oz, which is still recovering from the Oct. 7 attack, and alarming its residents.

Previously, Hamas would fly kites into Israel to which incendiary devices were attached, but this time, no suspicious items were found attached to the kites. A local council urged the IDF to investigate the incident and deal with it immediately.

“We demand that the IDF act against every kite that crosses into Israeli territory, locate it, and deal with it in real time. Not after it has landed. Not retroactively. In real time,” said Uri Epstein, head of the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council.

“These incidents must not become a routine the security establishment learns to live with. A kite that crosses into Israeli territory is an incident that requires a response. When there is no response, the message that gets across to the other side is that they can continue,” he explained.

“We must not make this mistake again. We demand an immediate investigation of the incidents, and to ensure that there is a response that is activated in real time, not after the incident has ended,” Epstein concluded.

In their joint statement, the premier and defense minister did not mince their words.

“Israel warns Hamas that if the launches toward Israel do not stop immediately, the IDF will act to intensify strikes against those responsible for the launches and evacuate populations from areas from which kites, drones and balloons are launched,” they said.