Hamas said Sunday that Israeli threats over kites and balloons launched from the Gaza Strip were an attempt to fabricate pretexts for continued attacks and threaten Palestinian children.

The statement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened further assassinations and the displacement of Palestinians from parts of Gaza unless the launching of kites and balloons toward Israel stopped.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem warned against Israeli “claims and threats” over the kites, saying they were primarily children’s toys used in displacement camps.

“These threats, based on fabricated pretexts, are an attempt to justify the continuation of aggression and violations against our people, reaching the point of threatening children in the Gaza Strip,” he said.