Hundreds of children and their families gathered in Türkiye’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır for an event titled “Kites Will Fly Free in Gaza Too,” expressing solidarity with Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip and drawing attention to their loss of safety, freedom and the simple right to play.

Organized jointly by the Orphans Foundation (Yetimler Vakfı) and the Ikra Children’s Culture Center, operating under the Ideal Education Foundation (İdeal Eğitim Vakfı), the event was held at the Nevruz Park Rally Area in Diyarbakır’s Bağlar district.

Children taking part in the program flew kites decorated with the Palestinian flag and “Free Palestine” messages, turning the sky over Diyarbakır into a symbolic expression of solidarity with children living under the devastating conditions in Gaza.

The program featured religious hymns, children's activities and refreshments, including simit and ice cream. Balloons were also distributed to the children, while organizers used games and educational activities to help participants understand the hardships faced by Palestinian children.

Children were given the opportunity to virtually visit Al-Aqsa Mosque using virtual reality glasses. Painting workshops focused on Palestine and Gaza were also organized, with children producing artwork portraying Palestinian children and their hopes for freedom.

Some children also wrote letters to their peers in Gaza. The letters were read aloud during the event, conveying messages of friendship and solidarity from children in Diyarbakır to children enduring war and displacement in the besieged Palestinian territory.

The program concluded with the symbolic release of the kites into the sky.

‘They see even kites as a threat’

Mehmet Emin Gülsever, deputy chairman of the Orphans Foundation, said the event was organized to draw attention to what he described as Israeli attacks and restrictions affecting Palestinian children, including their right to play.

Gülsever referred to remarks attributed to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz concerning kites in Gaza and criticized the treatment of objects associated with children's freedom and play as security threats.

“They see the kites that represent children’s freedom and reach up into the sky as a threat,” Gülsever said, arguing that the kites instead symbolize “hope for the children, a hope of freedom reaching toward the sky.”

He said the event brought together orphaned children as well as other children from Diyarbakır to fly kites in solidarity with children in Gaza.

“Flying a kite is a child’s dream, play and freedom,” Gülsever said, adding that the organizers wanted to convey that message to the international community.

He stressed that the gathering was about more than simply flying kites. Painting workshops, Palestinian-themed activities and virtual reality experiences were organized to help children engage with the situation facing their peers in Gaza.

“While our children are having fun here, in a way we will be having fun on behalf of the children of Gaza,” he said.

Aid efforts for children in Gaza

Gülsever also highlighted the Orphans Foundation's humanitarian activities for Palestinian children, saying that Gazan orphans are included in its ongoing “Sponsor an Orphan” campaign.

According to Gülsever, the foundation provides assistance including clothing and stationery to children in Gaza and works with other civil society organizations on humanitarian projects.

He said the foundation was also involved in efforts related to damaged hospitals and dialysis centers, adding that the organization was seeking to maintain humanitarian support for people in Gaza despite the severe conditions there.

“People in Türkiye are also very sensitive to this issue,” Gülsever said, noting that Gaza has become one of the main destinations for aid requested by members of the public.

‘Children in Gaza cannot even fly kites’

Fatih Taş, deputy chairman of the Ideal Education Foundation, said the event aimed to help children in Diyarbakır understand the devastating consequences of the war in Gaza and become more aware of the plight of Palestinian children.

“Gaza is facing great destruction today,” Taş said. “It has reached such a level that children in Gaza cannot even fly kites.”

He said children in Gaza had been deprived not only of security but also of basic childhood experiences, including education and the freedom to play.

Taş said the event was intended to give children in Diyarbakır an opportunity to express solidarity with Palestinian children and to ensure that the suffering in Gaza remained in the public consciousness.

Through the event's visual activities and virtual reality experience, organizers sought to introduce children to Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinian cultural and religious heritage while encouraging them to express their solidarity through drawings and messages.

Keeping Gaza in children's memory

Taş said the Ideal Education Foundation had also organized activities in cooperation with provincial education authorities in several Turkish provinces to raise awareness among children about the situation in Gaza.

He said the foundation had sought to explain to students the destruction of Gaza's education system, the killing of teachers and students, and the broader humanitarian consequences of the war through age-appropriate educational activities.

The organization plans to continue similar activities in its kindergartens, including programs for children as young as six, where they will draw pictures and participate in activities focused on Gaza.

“We are trying to ensure that these children, as tomorrow’s adults, do not forget Gaza,” Taş said.

For the organizers, the kites released over Diyarbakır were intended to carry a message beyond the event itself: that Palestinian children, like children everywhere, have the right to play, learn, dream and live freely. (ILKHA)