Winnipeg families fly kites with kids in solidarity with Gaza as Hamas-Israel war enters 100th day

Dozens of parents, caregivers and their children braved the cold on Sunday to fly kites at St. Vital Park in solidarity with Gaza to mark the 100th day of war between Israel and Hamas.

Pascale Nowicki, an organizer of the event with Family Actions 4 Palestine, said the group wanted to create an accessible, child-centred event that allowed room for families to have challenging conversations with children about the conflict.

"A lot of parents are having a hard time discussing this with their kids," said Nowicki, whose seven-year-old was at the event.

"Kids are drawn to justice and the concepts are very simple — caring for others, protecting those who are not protected — and so for them to be able to get involved in a way that feels accessible to them is very important."

Children of Gaza broke the world record for most kites flown at once in 2011, with over 12,000 set aloft over a northern Gaza beach.

The Winnipeg event was part of a global initiative that pays homage to that moment by asking people to "paint the sky" with kites in an act of solidarity with Gaza as the war drags on.

On Oct. 7, Hamas gunmen from Gaza launched the deadliest attack since the state of Israel was founded in 1948. More than 1,200 people in Israel were killed, 240 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage, and accounts of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas emerged in the weeks that followed.

"There are still 136 hostages. We demand that they are released now," Jeff Lieberman, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, said in an emailed statement to CBC News.

The federation posted a statement to its social media pages on Sunday saying stories from those who have been released have revealed "nightmarish" suffering they experienced before being freed.

"The physical and psychological torment inflicted by Hamas upon innocent men, women, children, and the elderly held as hostages constitutes heinous crimes against humanity," reads a portion of the JFW statement.

Israel's military response since Oct. 7 has left about 24,000 Palestinians dead and 60,000 wounded, according to health authorities in Gaza. That represents the largest loss of Palestinian life in the decades of conflicts.

A humanitarian crisis threatens to leave more Gazans dead as Israeli troops press on through Gaza in search of Hamas leadership.

South Africa recently filed a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of waging genocide against the Palestinian population. Israel has called that accusation "grossly distorted" and untrue.

Tarek Abdel Aziz, one of the parents at the Winnipeg kite-flying event, said it's difficult to process what's happening even as an adult.

He nonetheless feels it's important to engage his kids so they stay connected to what's going on during the war. 

"I want them to stay in touch with this, but I also want them to see that there are other people who believe in what they believe in and what we stand for," said Abdel Aziz.

"That's great, not to feel isolated in this, and not to feel that you're alone in this is really important."