Kites fly for Gaza, Minab children in Tehran
About 200 schoolchildren gathered at Pardisan Park in Tehran to fly kites in memory of children killed in Gaza and Minab, a southern Iranian city where a US missile strike on a school killed dozens of people, during an event to link solidarity with war victims to children’s rights and environmental protection on Monday.
The event comes amid the heavy toll of conflict on children in both places. UNICEF reported that at least 21,700 children had been killed in the Gaza Strip as of June 30, 2026, following the full-fledged war by Israel on the Palestinian territory in October 2023. A strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran, killed 168 people, most of them children.
Organized by Iran’s Department of Environment and Tehran Municipality, the gathering featured kites carrying images and symbols of friendship and safety, IRNA reported.
Arman Khorsand, head of the Department of Environment’s Center for International Affairs and Conventions, said the kite-flying event aimed to show solidarity with children in Gaza and Minab and draw public attention to the impact of war on kids.
Khorsand said honoring victims and strengthening international solidarity could help prevent further abuses.
Mohammad Madadi, head of the department’s environmental education center, said such activities could foster empathy, social responsibility and awareness of children’s rights and environmental protection.
During the event, a kite designed in memory of children killed in Gaza and Minab was signed by the head of Iran’s Department of Environment and family members of two Minab victims.