By Shahad Ali
This article was originally published by Truthout
Many Palestinian parents have had to stop their children from playing with one of the few toys they have left.
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’s toys through both commercial and humanitarian channels into the Gaza Strip. Most of the toys still available in limited quantities in Gaza’s 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.
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 “Yellow Line.” 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, “the Israeli war destroyed approximately 90% of the city’s public parks.” 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.
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.
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.
However, even these simple kites — which bring smiles to children’s faces and, for a moment, help them escape the reality of tents and rubble — 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’eri.
Al Jazeera 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 “have 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.”
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.
But when speaking about the kites discovered near Nahal Oz and Be’eri 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 “forceful” action would be taken “to put an end to this phenomenon.” Katz also warned, “A balloon is treated like a kite, and a kite is treated like a drone, with or without explosives.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also threatened to “evacuate the areas from which balloons, drones, and kites are launched,” 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 “will not return to the reality that existed before October 7” and “will not allow any entity in Gaza to threaten its communities or undermine their security.”
The Israeli officials’ threats spread rapidly across Gaza, forcing many parents to stop their children from making and flying kites to protect their lives.
Khalid Al-Kateeb, 11, told me that a kite was the only toy he could afford. “Making 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 — a colorful one with a long tail.”
Khalid continued, “I 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.”
However, when Khalid tried to fly his kite again, his mother stopped him.
“She kept telling me that it was dangerous. I cried a lot because I do not understand how my beautiful kite can be dangerous,” Khalid said.
Shoroq Akilah, 30, Khalid’s mother, told me that Israeli officials’ threats to target anyone flying a kite shocked her. “My 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,” she told me. “It 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.”
Eman Al-Kahlout, 41, a mother of four, told me that once she heard about the threats, she tore up all of her children’s kites. “I 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,” she said. “How 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’s precious lives because of a kite.”
Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, described Israel’s threat to expel Palestinians from their areas because of children flying kites as “outrageous.” She also said that, despite the so-called ceasefire, Palestinians in Gaza continue to be subjected to daily bombardment, gunfire, and killings from Israel.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 1,280 Palestinians have been killed since the “ceasefire” 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.
This article was originally published by Truthout and is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Please maintain all links and credits in accordance with our republishing guidelines.
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