Kites fill Rafah’s skies, a symbol of hope amid Israel’s war on Gaza
Al Jazeera
In Rafah’s horrifically crowded camps, children find one bright spot of play and smiles, up in the skies above.
Rafah, Gaza Strip – The colourful kites fluttering in the skies of Rafah belie the reality they soar over: ragged tents packed tightly together, and lines of people trying to find food, water, and firewood. Running in and out of it all are children, brief smiles illuminating their exhausted faces as they look up at their flying miracles.
That such a simple toy can bring them moments of joy is in and of itself a miracle – and proof of the undefeatable spirit of children who manage this in the midst of rubble, death, displacement, hunger, and freezing cold as Israel’s brutal war on Gaza nears five months.
More than 1.3 million people are displaced in Rafah right now, a density that is in the top three worldwide. Only these people are not living in highrises or modern cities: they are packed tightly together in makeshift tents.
Tariq Khalaf, 12, has a kite, and he’s very proud of the fact.
“When the sun rose, I came out of the tent to sit here on the sand,” he says. “I saw some kids flying kites and I asked them how I could get one, too.
