Kite day in Halifax. The whole of the Garrison Grounds was taken over by giant spiders, colourful blowfish, an oversized Orca, and even a huge horse in the air just over the park that winds up a steep path to the city’s 200 year old fortress Citadel.  There were booths with aging  machines that spun out candy floss, and a souped-up bouncy castle with a damsel tower attached – it was the giant flags of plastic, the triangles and the flying animals that  stole the show.

At least 200 people sat on Citadel hill, small dots in the brilliant sun — some hanging on to the kite strings – others kicking a ball around.  

For a few seconds I imagined a scene in Gaza’s Khan Younis.  It houses 400,000 Palestinians in makeshift tents.  Before Oct. 7, 2023 about 9,000 lived there; today 44 times as many people live there.  By the end of 2023, Israel declared Al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis, a “safe zone” – hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Israel’s bombing and genocide Gaza rushed to enter.  Despite it being a safe zone,  in the next 18 months,  Israel attacked the camp in more than 25 drone and/or missile attacks that killed hundreds of Gazans, including children.   

Of course in Khan Younis, no children run back and forth gleefully trying to pull the strings of the kites to keep them aloft.  That never happened. Of course not.

Today, if the kites went up in Al-Mawasi, or anywhere in Gaza, Israel would launch armed drones.  And the wholesale murder of Palestinians would result.  Clearly the Israelis would justify the bloodbath as a need to boost security to intercept foreign and suspicious objects.

Last Tues, July 7,  there was one glimmer of fun for displaced families in the Sabra area of west Gaza City.  Several  gigantic TV screens showed the World Cup game between Egypt and Argentina.  Tens of thousands gathered to watch and cheer on Egypt — in the midst of toppled homes, destroyed apartment buildings, and rubble strewn roads that are barely passable except on a donkey.  An hour before the game, the Israelis dropped a missile on the taxi which took Mohammed al-Wahidi to the screening.  Al-Wahidi, 65, is the head of communications for the Egypt Relief Committee; he organized screenings of some of the FIFA matches in the ruins of Gaza.  Israel deliberately targeted and killed him, his driver and another person.

Two children aged eight and ten, brothers were also killed.  Al-Wahidi was on his way to host the event.  Since the nine month old ‘ceasefire’, Israel has killed at least four people in Gaza each a day—to more than 1000 today. Women and children make up 43% of all deaths in Gaza.  —more than 200 of them children.

It is in everyday life that the sudden beauty of summer gets snatched away by seeing the photos and videos of Gaza.  We look back to Gaza a decade ago – with cities, with mosques, with schools, with shopping centres and with apartment buildings.  Now there is nothing. People live in the ruins—some on cracked concrete platforms that have perhaps crushed and pancaked thousands of women and children over the last two and a half years in Israel’s bombings.  There are no pets; no toys, no roof, little food and less water. 

In the Public Gardens next to Citadel Hill I see some colourful kites caught in the tree canopy—too high for anyone to get them down.  I think of Gaza;  I have not seen one mature tree in any photo I can remember.  All but lopsided bushes have been destroyed by Israeli missiles that have killed and maimed thousands, toppled buildings, buckled streets and crushed trees.  I suppose trees are no hazard to flying a kite in Gaza – a missile, a bomb or an armed drone are. 

Image at the top and below: Horse kite, Garrison Grounds, Halifax July 11, 2026 (Credit: Larry Haiven)