Rafah, Gaza Strip – The colorful kites fluttering in the skies of Rafah belie the reality they fly over: tattered tents huddled together and lines of people trying to find food, water and firewood of heating. Children drift in and out of it all, brief smiles lighting up their exhausted faces as they watch their flying miracles.
That such a simple toy can bring them moments of joy is itself a miracle – and a testament to the invincible spirit of children who achieve it amidst rubble, death, displacement, hunger and cold freezing cold as Israel’s brutal war on Gaza approaches five months.
More than 1.3 million people are currently displaced in Rafah, a density that ranks among the top three in the world. Only, these people do not live in skyscrapers or modern cities: they are crammed together in makeshift tents.
“We were screaming”
Tariq Khalaf, 12, owns a kite and is very proud of it.
“When the sun came up, I came out of the tent and sat here on the sand,” he said. “I saw some kids flying kites and asked them how I could get one too.
“I had some sticks, but I didn’t have any paper, so I found someone who had some paper and I asked them. He made one for me and one for his son and now I can go out and play with my kite all day.
“It’s so nice to see him rise into the sky with the wind and run with him, me and my friends from the nearby tents.”
Pride and happiness are in Tariq’s words, showing how much he misses playing and being outside doing everyday things with friends.
“We can’t play…we were playing football but there’s no space here between the tents. You can no longer play and run like I did on the field next to our house.
Tariq and his family were moved from their home in Nassr, Gaza, to al-Shifa Hospital and then to Khan Younis. Eventually, they ended up in Rafah.
“We left the house because of the bombings… we were screaming because of the sound of the explosions,” he said. “My father was (always) trying to find food through aid or people distributing food to displaced people.
“I spent my time running around the schoolyard (in Khan Younis) or just sitting in a corner waiting for nightfall so I could sleep. »
“My children have grown old”
Salem Baraka also got into kite flying, but mainly for his children, he says.
The 40-year-old from Abasan, east of Khan Younis, arrived in Rafah at the start of the war, given how accustomed he is to being displaced every time Israel launches an attack on Gaza.
“I left my land and my house to save my children from death… I have six children, the youngest is called Louay, he is nine years old.
“The children are so scared and at the same time so bored, and it only gets worse as the war progresses. Some have become violent and aggressive and cannot bear to talk to anyone.
“My children had their own room; they played with their cousins. Now they sit in front of the tent and put their lives on hold. »
When kites became popular, Salem said, Louay asked him to make one for him, but it wouldn’t fly, so Salem bought one from someone else in the camp.
“Listen,” he said, pointing upwards. “They make the sky more beautiful instead of the usual smoke from bombing.”
“My children aged during the war, their personalities changed,” adds the father, looking worried.
“The kites keep them busy,” he notes. “I see Louay talking to his kite, shouting when it falls and clapping when it rises into the sky. I was happy that he found something to play with instead of sitting in the sand and crying from boredom.
“I’m afraid of getting lost among the tents”
Another kite flyer is Saeed Ashraf, 13, who also came to Rafah from Khan Younis.
He bought his kite from one of the children at the camp who makes and sells it to earn some money and help his family.
“I bought one for me and my brother Murad, who is nine,” Saeed said.
“Now we leave the tent every day as soon as the weather permits to fly kites. We don’t go far though, because the place is so full of tents that I’m afraid we might get lost if we go too far.
“So Murad and I stay by the tent and fly our kite. This makes us happy and my father sits nearby and watches us. I think it makes him happy too.
“I miss our home in Khan Yunis and hope the army leaves soon. »
Saeed says that when the war is over, “I will take these kites back with me to fly them in our neighborhood with my brother and our neighbors. »