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Gaza Children Fly Kites to Escape Horrors of War

Palestinian children fly a kite in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 30, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Palestinian children fly a kite in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 30, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Gaza Children Fly Kites to Escape Horrors of War

Palestinian children fly a kite in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 30, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Palestinian children fly a kite in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 30, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

Meters away from the concrete and steel fence separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt, 11-year-old Malak Ayad flies a paper kite high in the sky -- a welcome distraction from the horrors of war.

"Every day I play with my brothers and cousins with kites next to the Egyptian border," said the Palestinian girl, displaced from Gaza City with her family to the southern city of Rafah.

"When I do, I feel free and safe," she added, gently maneuvering her kite, which she calls "Butterfly", back and forth across the border with a white string.

Her cousins and friends run along the fence trying, in vain, to get their kites to take flight, but a loud explosion in the distance makes them stop in their tracks.

"Quickly, the (Israeli) bombardment is getting closer," said Malak's uncle Mohammed Ayad, 24, urging the children to leave the area.

Malak quickly obeys, reeling in her kite and folding it, then rushes back to a tent where her family is taking shelter in the nearby Khir area.

"Playtime is over. When air strikes begin we run back home," Malak said, trembling with fear.

The war began with Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack that resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign to destroy Hamas has killed at least 32,782 people, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

'Trapped'

Malak Ayad and her family are among 1.5 million people, most of them displaced by the war, now living in Rafah, where Israel has vowed to carry a ground offensive as it pursues its campaign against Hamas.

Despite the war and the fear that grips her, Malak seems to be happy to fly her kite and dreams of life as it was before the war broke out on October 7.

"My kite flies to Egypt everyday while we are here trapped in Gaza," said Malak, who wears a bracelet featuring the Palestinian flag.

"I don't know when we will be able to return home," she said, adding that her mother told her that her school has been hit by the Israeli army and "destroyed".

Haitham Abu Ajwa, 34, who is also displaced from Gaza City, said kite flying "reminds me of my childhood".

He too lives in a tent in Rafah with his wife and two boys, Mohammed, 5, and seven-months-old Adam.

Flying kites helps to "free oneself of negative thoughts", he said, and the border area with Egypt is "the ideal place to expel... the sadness and pain that we feel".

"In the camps, you cannot feel free or comfortable," said Abu Ajwa as he helped Mohammed fly a kite.

Dozens of children, some with their families, come daily to the border area in the afternoons to fly kites across the frontier.

Some start up conversations with Egyptian soldiers manning surveillance towers.

When Malak's kite flew past the watchtower, one of the soldiers called out to her: "Well done, princess."

The little girl thanked him with a wave and said, "I love Egypt. My wish is to travel there like my kite."

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Varieties

Does Fasting Stress You? Here’s the Role of Cortisol and How to Manage It

Deep breathing exercises, remembrance, and brief meditation before sleep may reduce stress markers (Pexels).
Deep breathing exercises, remembrance, and brief meditation before sleep may reduce stress markers (Pexels).
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Does Fasting Stress You? Here’s the Role of Cortisol and How to Manage It

Deep breathing exercises, remembrance, and brief meditation before sleep may reduce stress markers (Pexels).
Deep breathing exercises, remembrance, and brief meditation before sleep may reduce stress markers (Pexels).

Fasting during Ramadan is both a spiritual and a health practice that benefits the body and mind. Medical studies, however, show that fasting can sometimes raise levels of cortisol, the hormone commonly known as the stress hormone. Elevated cortisol may have noticeable effects on mood, including irritability, anxiety, and tension, making emotional regulation more challenging during long fasting hours.

Cortisol is released by the adrenal glands according to a natural daily rhythm, higher in the morning and lower in the evening. This rhythm, however, can be disrupted by poor sleep, dehydration, or physical and mental stress.

So how can cortisol levels be kept in balance during fasting? Here are key practical guidelines:

1. Prioritize sleep. It is central to hormonal balance. Sleep disruption increases stress and interferes with cortisol regulation. To minimize this effect:

Aim for a total of 7 to 8 hours of sleep, including nighttime rest and a short daytime nap if needed.

Keep sleep and wake times as consistent as possible.

Limit screen exposure for at least one hour before bedtime.

2. Break your fast in a balanced way to avoid blood sugar spikes. Research links blood sugar fluctuations to heightened stress responses. For that reason:

Start with fluids and a moderate amount of dates, followed by a meal that includes protein and fiber.

Avoid excessive simple sugars, which can cause a rapid rise and fall in blood glucose, triggering cortisol release.

3. Carbohydrates matter; do not eliminate them. While reducing refined sugars is beneficial, including moderate amounts of healthy carbohydrates - such as oats, whole-grain bread, potatoes, or fruit - at iftar and suhoor helps stabilize blood sugar gradually after fasting.

This balance helps prevent excessive cortisol release and reduces irritability, tension, and anxiety during fasting hours.

4. Maintain hydration between sunset and dawn. Dehydration places additional stress on the body. Health authorities recommend spreading fluid intake after iftar:

Drink water gradually between iftar and suhoor.

Limit caffeinated beverages, as they may interfere with sleep and increase stress.

5. Engage in moderate physical activity. Moderate movement supports healthy stress regulation:

Opt for light walking or stretching about two hours after iftar.

Avoid intense exercise during prolonged fasting hours.

6. Use relaxation techniques. Deep breathing, remembrance, and brief meditation before sleep may help lower stress markers.

US medical sources recommend daily relaxation practices lasting 5 to 10 minutes to support hormonal balance related to stress.

7. Be mindful of caffeine and sugar at night. Heavy coffee intake or frequent sweets during late Ramadan gatherings can disrupt sleep, affecting cortisol levels the following day. Keep your last cup of coffee before midnight and limit desserts to small portions.

8. Consult your doctor if you have a medical condition. If you have hormonal disorders, elevated blood sugar, or high blood pressure, medical guidance is important to adjust medications and dosing schedules during fasting.

Cortisol plays an essential role in energy regulation and the body’s stress response, but maintaining healthy levels depends on consistent sleep, balanced nutrition, adequate hydration, and moderate activity. With thoughtful planning during Ramadan, it is possible to support energy and focus throughout the month, rather than struggling with irritability, anger, and stress.

Varieties

Jazan Marks Founding Day with 1,500 Banners and Regional Festivities

The region is set to host a diverse lineup of events, including national performances - SPA
The region is set to host a diverse lineup of events, including national performances - SPA
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Jazan Marks Founding Day with 1,500 Banners and Regional Festivities

The region is set to host a diverse lineup of events, including national performances - SPA
The region is set to host a diverse lineup of events, including national performances - SPA

The Jazan Municipality has finalized its preparations for Founding Day, decorating the region with over 1,500 banners and a comprehensive visual identity, SPA reported.

Streets, parks, and public squares across the city and its governorates have been transformed to reflect national pride and the joy of the local community.

In collaboration with various government departments, the region is set to host a diverse lineup of events, including national performances, folk arts, and heritage displays unique to Jazan.

Varieties

Scottish Antiques Auction Selling Neck Shackles Accused of ‘Profiting from Slavery’

“I think it’s important not to upset and offend, but shock people into learning the whole truth,” the auctioneer, Marcus Salter, said. (Cheeky Auctions Tain)
“I think it’s important not to upset and offend, but shock people into learning the whole truth,” the auctioneer, Marcus Salter, said. (Cheeky Auctions Tain)
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Scottish Antiques Auction Selling Neck Shackles Accused of ‘Profiting from Slavery’

“I think it’s important not to upset and offend, but shock people into learning the whole truth,” the auctioneer, Marcus Salter, said. (Cheeky Auctions Tain)
“I think it’s important not to upset and offend, but shock people into learning the whole truth,” the auctioneer, Marcus Salter, said. (Cheeky Auctions Tain)

An antiques auction selling chains linked to the enslavement of African people in Zanzibar has been accused of “profiting from slavery,” according to The Guardian.

The shackles, dated to 1780 and valued at about £1,000, are among objects listed in the auction, called “Challenging History.”

The auctioneer Marcus Salter, of Cheeky Auctions in Tain, Ross, said he wanted to ensure history was confronted with the sale of the “sensitive artifact” and did not wish to offend.

“I think it’s important not to upset and offend, but shock people into learning the whole truth,” Salter said. “There are certain things we’re not allowed to sell at auction. We had to check with the platform we’re selling with that we could do this. They consider the slave chains to be a historical artefact, therefore we can.

But Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group for Afrikan reparations, said trading in such items meant people were “continuing to profit from the slave trade.”

She said, “If they were to be put in a museum I would understand, but buying and selling them like oddities is the same thing that people do when it comes to human remains– treating them as collector’s items, something to be fetishized rather than items that should be looked at in horror.”

Salter said he was selling the chains for a dealer whose father had owned them for 50 years, adding: “No matter what happens there’s going to be money made out of it from somewhere.”

He claimed if the item was donated to a museum, it could be “put into storage and never seen again”, and that slavery-linked mahogany was sold and used without controversy.

In 2024, the Antiques Roadshow expert Ronnie Archer-Morgan refused to value an ivory bangle linked to enslavement.

Caecilia Dance, an associate at London law firm Wedlake Bell, has advised on the restitution of Nazi-looted art. Dance said she could not comment on the auction, but that there was “no specific law against” trading objects linked to slavery.

She added that “public interest stewardship” – donation, sale, or long-term loan to a museum with relationships with affected communities – would be the “ideal management pathway” for an item linked to slavery.