{"id":1690,"date":"2026-08-28T16:41:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T16:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1690"},"modified":"2026-08-28T16:41:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T16:41:00","slug":"kids-in-gaza-sought-joy-in-flying-kites-israel-threatens-to-kill-them-for-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1690","title":{"rendered":"Kids in Gaza Sought Joy in Flying Kites. Israel Threatens to Kill Them for It."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Part of the Series<\/h4>\n<\/header>\n
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Struggle and Solidarity: Writing Toward Palestinian Liberation<\/h5>\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n
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Read more Some in GOP Worry \u201cTrumpalooza\u201d Midterm Convention Could Hurt Party in November<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The latest Israeli war in Gaza has deprived children of their right to enjoy childhood in the most basic ways. For over three years, Israel has largely banned the import of children\u2019s toys through both commercial and humanitarian channels into the Gaza Strip. Most of the toys still available in limited quantities in Gaza\u2019s markets entered the Strip before the war, and their prices are far beyond what most families can afford. For example, a single Barbie doll can cost the equivalent of $70 in U.S. currency, while a football can cost as much as $50.<\/p>\n

This comes on top of the harsh living conditions that children are enduring in overcrowded displacement camps, which restrict their movement and ability to play freely. Israel now controls nearly 70 percent of the Gaza Strip within the so-called \u201cYellow Line.\u201d It has also destroyed many of the spaces where children once played and sought relief, including public parks and football fields. According to a post shared by the official social media account of the Municipality of Gaza, \u201cthe Israeli war destroyed approximately 90% of the city\u2019s public parks.\u201d The municipality also said that irrigation networks serving the parks have been severely damaged, making it difficult to maintain the remaining green spaces where Gazans can briefly escape the psychological pressures caused by the war.<\/p>\n

With no other way to release their pent-up energy, many children in Gaza have turned to making kites. Kites were popular in Gaza even before the war began. During the summer holidays, children used to spend hours together making colorful kites, which they would fly from the rooftops of their homes, or when they went to the beach. They felt both happy and proud during moments when their kites finally took flight and soared high into the sky, knowing that the hard work of making them was worthwhile.<\/p>\n

Children have returned to making kites due to the availability and low cost of the materials needed to build them: wooden sticks, colorful paper or nylon, and string. Although a kite may be a simple toy, making one still requires creativity. Children can create different shapes, decorate them with drawings and patterns, and add long, colorful tails. Making and flying kites has become a form of therapy, allowing children to transform ordinary materials into something creative that reminds them of the joy and sense of freedom they have been deprived of for so long.<\/p>\n

However, even these simple kites \u2014 which bring smiles to children\u2019s faces and, for a moment, help them escape the reality of tents and rubble \u2014 have now been banned by Israel, which declared kite-flying a potential act of war after four kites were found near the Gaza-border communities of Nahal Oz and Be\u2019eri.<\/p>\n

Al Jazeera <\/em>notes the historical context that the Israeli government is invoking in its current effort to criminalize all kite-flying, saying discussions of the fallen kites this month \u201chave evoked memories of incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza in 2018, in what Palestinians said was a protest against the Israeli blockade of the enclave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another flareup over incendiary balloons occurred in July 2021, when Israeli firefighters claimed that three small brush blazes that they extinguished had been caused by incendiary balloons launched from Gaza, and Israel responded with the draconian measure of cutting the approved fishing zone in Gaza in half.<\/p>\n

But when speaking about the kites discovered near Nahal Oz and Be\u2019eri this month, the Israeli army has clearly stated that no suspicious or dangerous materials were found on the kites. Yet even so, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said \u201cforceful\u201d action would be taken \u201cto put an end to this phenomenon.\u201d Katz also warned, \u201cA balloon is treated like a kite, and a kite is treated like a drone, with or without explosives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also threatened to \u201cevacuate the areas from which balloons, drones, and kites are launched,\u201d warning that Israel would intensify its targeting of those responsible for such activities if Hamas did not stop them immediately. In addition, he emphasized that Israel \u201cwill not return to the reality that existed before October 7\u201d and \u201cwill not allow any entity in Gaza to threaten its communities or undermine their security.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Israeli officials\u2019 threats spread rapidly across Gaza, forcing many parents to stop their children from making and flying kites to protect their lives.<\/p>\n

Khalid Al-Kateeb, 11, told me that a kite was the only toy he could afford. \u201cMaking a kite cost me zero shekels. All the materials were at home. The first time I tried to make one, it did not fly. I was sad, but still determined to make a more beautiful one that could fly high in the sky. I spent a week working on it with my siblings until we had the kite we dreamed of \u2014 a colorful one with a long tail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khalid continued, \u201cI flew it with my siblings, and I was so happy to see it flying higher than I expected. That day was the best day of my life, simply because I managed to play and laugh freely.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, when Khalid tried to fly his kite again, his mother stopped him.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe kept telling me that it was dangerous. I cried a lot because I do not understand how my beautiful kite can be dangerous,\u201d Khalid said.<\/p>\n

Shoroq Akilah, 30, Khalid\u2019s mother, told me that Israeli officials\u2019 threats to target anyone flying a kite shocked her. \u201cMy children loved this toy, and it is still hard for me to explain to them that they are no longer allowed to play with it simply because Israel considers it a threat,\u201d she told me. \u201cIt really breaks my heart that my children are deprived of even the simplest things that can let them enjoy the innocence of their childhood. Every day, Israel turns Gaza into an unbearable place for children. No toys are allowed to enter, there are no spaces for playing, and now even kites are banned. I do not know what Israel will ban in the coming days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eman Al-Kahlout, 41, a mother of four, told me that once she heard about the threats, she tore up all of her children\u2019s kites. \u201cI tried to explain to my children several times that they cannot fly kites because they are dangerous, but they did not understand and insisted on flying them,\u201d she said. \u201cHow can a child understand that a kite made of string and wooden sticks could be dangerous? I was left with no choice but to destroy their kites. I know how hard my children worked to make those kites, and I could not bear their cries when they saw their beautiful kites torn apart. But I had no other choice. I cannot risk my children\u2019s precious lives because of a kite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, described Israel\u2019s threat to expel Palestinians from their areas because of children flying kites as \u201coutrageous.\u201d She also said that, despite the so-called ceasefire, Palestinians in Gaza continue to be subjected to daily bombardment, gunfire, and killings from Israel.<\/p>\n

According to Gaza\u2019s Ministry of Health, more than 1,280 Palestinians have been killed since the \u201cceasefire\u201d agreement took effect in October 2025. People in Gaza are feeling hopeless and helpless. We have had enough of living this horrible life, deprived of our basic right to live as human beings. Every day, we hear about negotiations, discussions about the disarmament of Hamas, and possible solutions to our suffering. But in reality, we only see more Israeli violations, threats, and attacks.<\/p>\n

Read more End of Protected Status Puts Thousands of Somali Immigrants at Immediate Risk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many Palestinian parents have had to stop their children from playing with one of the few toys they have left.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nKids in Gaza Sought Joy in Flying Kites. Israel Threatens to Kill Them for It. - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1690\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kids in Gaza Sought Joy in Flying Kites. 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