An activist raises a kite decorated with the Palestinian flag during an event held at London's Regent's Park
Afrasianet - Mariam Alsayeh - On Saturday, the British capital London witnessed a solidarity event with the children of the Gaza Strip, entitled "Planes for Palestine", in which children and activists in support of the Palestinian right participated, by launching kites on which slogans and messages of solidarity were written.
The event, organized by the Palestinian Forum in Britain, in cooperation with the "Red Ribbons" campaign in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, came days after an Israeli escalation in dealing with kites launched from the Gaza Strip and reaching the areas controlled by the occupation in the Gaza Strip and beyond.
One of the kites that Israel says was launched from Gaza
'War action'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes in the Gaza Strip, on August 23 instructed his forces to take what he described as "everything necessary" to counter what he saw as a threat from "drones", following reports of the launch of kites from Gaza.
On the same day, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said the army had been instructed to act "immediately and forcefully" against the launch of kites, balloons anddrones from Gaza, adding that each launch would be treated as an "act of war" and that the kite would be treated like a drone "whether it carries explosives or not."
Israel later announced that it would take action against those responsible for the launches, including the evacuation of areas or neighbourhoods in Gaza used to launch kites and balloons, despite the Israeli occupation army's announcement that the kites found near the border did not carry explosive or suspected materials and did not pose a danger to the public.
Against this backdrop, activists and solidarity with Palestine responded by launching kites at a group event in central London to commemorate the tragedy of Gaza's children.
From Gaza to London
In Regent's Park, northwest London, organisers of the event confirmed that the kite is a symbol of childhood and its traditional toys, and invited participants to make, decorate and raise it in the air.
Palestinian children, including children from Gaza living in Britain who were recently evacuated from war, as well as activists and solidarity activists, took part in the event. Participants wrote phrases such as "Free Palestine" on the planes, before launching them into the park.
Actress and social media activist Nicole Guinness, who participated in the event, said, "The purpose of her presence is to draw attention to the impact of the war on the lives of children in Gaza."
She added that the kite has become part of the debate about children in the Gaza Strip, and what is worrying for her is that children living in conditions of war and destruction, as she put it, have become deprived of spaces to play and joy.
She said the event in London was a message to the world about the need to protect children and their right to lead their normal lives, away from the conditions of war.
Paradox
Among the participants was Buddhist monk Ajan Santamano, who said his participation was based on the principle of compassion for all living beings, one of the principles that governs his religious practice, adding that his knowledge of the history of conflict and settler colonialism led him to support Palestinian rights.
Santamano criticized what he described as the "silence of Buddhist institutions" about what is happening in Palestine, saying that the choice of kites as the theme of the event reflects the paradox between being a child's play and treating it as a security threat.
He added that the issue of kites cannot be separated from the broader context of the war in Gaza, calling on the international community to take more effective measures to stop the suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip.
The right to live and play
One of the participating activists, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the purpose of the gathering was to support the right of Palestinian children, especially Gaza's children, to live and play.
He added that the participants chose the kites specifically after the recent Israeli threats related to their launch from Gaza, considering that the event aims to turn them into a means of expressing solidarity rather than being part of the security discourse related to the war.
The head of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, Adnan Humaidan, who co-organized the event, said the event was "support and solidarity with every Palestinian child who wants to live his freedom."
Organizers have been able to mobilize solidarity activists and children to launch their kites despite earlier threats to thwart the event from "right-wing" and "extremist" social media accounts.
"Child killers are afraid of their toys".. a mockery of Israel's panic towards planes
On the other hand, a video posted by the Israeli army on its official account on the X platform, in which it warns against kites coming from the Gaza Strip, sparked a wave of ridicule and harsh criticism among the pioneers of the virtual world.
In the clip, an Israeli soldier appeared explaining why her army took these planes "very seriously", claiming that they evoke "specific memories" in Israelis, referring to the period between 2018 and 2023, when she launched balloons and kites loaded with incendiary materials from Gaza, which then resulted in fires and damage to agricultural lands and nature reserves in southern Israel.
Although kites were recently found in southern settlements that turned out to be free of explosives, the army is taking "precautionary measures," she said. She claimed that these drones, which may appear "innocent," are being used by what she described as a "terrorist organization" to threaten civilians.
As soon as the clip was published, there were sarcastic and angry comments, recalling the Israeli army's crimes against civilians in Gaza and Lebanon.
One tweeter quipped, "Child killers are afraid of a kite in the hands of a child. Is this the army that is described as the strongest in the region? ".
Responses highlighting the military paradox followed, with another commenting, "A nuclear-armed superpower that is terrified of a kite, and uses it as a pretext to massacre children!"
Observers linked this warning to the tragic reality in the Strip, asking that "those who kill children on their way to school also don't want them to play, what is happening to children in Gaza is genocide."
The irony culminated in a sarcastic comment that read, "Oh my God. Terrorist kites! What a horror the soldiers feel in front of them! They kill children because they are terrified of their kites."
Other tweeters asked a question denouncing Israel's double standards, saying, "If you are afraid of kites on your agricultural land, why is your army burning land and farms on a large scale in the West Bank? ".
Amnesty International has entered the crisis line, denouncing the Israeli approach that was reported in posts by Israel Katz on social media platforms.
The rights group said that the Israeli government's announcement of its intention to treat balloons and kites launched from the Gaza Strip as "military drones" represents the end of any remaining hope for the children of the Gaza Strip to embezzle moments of joy, noting that these children have already been deprived of their childhood due to Israel's "ongoing genocide."
The organization made a firm appeal to the international community, calling on what it called "third countries" to take urgent and effective action to stop the genocide in Gaza, and stressed, at the end of its comment, the need to put an end to Israeli excesses, saying that "enough of impunity for Israel for its blatant disregard for international law."
________________
