CAIRO: Two Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday killed at least two people, including a four-year-old boy, and wounded seven others, Palestinian health officials said, as Israel warned it would intensify strikes after what it said were launches of balloons, drones and kites from Gaza toward Israel.

One of the strikes hit a building in Zawayda town in the centre of the enclave and followed a warning by the Israeli army for the owners of the property to leave the area, residents said. Medics said flying debris and shrapnel that spread for dozens of metres around had wounded at least six people, including the four-year-old, Mohammad Abdel-Salam Taha, who was later pronounced dead at hospital.

The second airstrike took place in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp, the health officials said. Israel's military said it was looking into both strikes. An October 2025 U.S.-backed ceasefire halted major fighting in the shattered territory, but it failed to end strikes by the Israeli military, which it said aimed to thwart attacks by Hamas and other Gaza militants.

More than 1,280 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect last October, according to Gazan health officials, while the Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed. Following a situation assessment on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office warned Hamas it would intensify strikes if balloon and drone launches didn't stop immediately.