Children in Gaza attempt to set Guinness world record for kite flying
Thousands of children in the Gaza Strip sought to break the world record for kite flying in a rare moment of respite from the war-battered enclave's daily life
More than 6,000 boys and girls gathered on a sandy beach in northern Gaza to fly more than 3,000 kites, according to the officials of the UN agency that organised the event
If the figure is confirmed by Guinness the event will hold the new record for the highest number of kites flown simultaneously - the previous high of 710 kites was reached in northern Germany last year
The colourful kites were built as part of activities at the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) summer camps which hosted more than 240,000 children this year.
Some of the kites included designs such as the red, green, black and white Palestinian flag
The Guinness Book of World Records said it had received an application from Gaza for "most kites flown simultaneously." Guinness was unable to send a judge to the attempt due to travel restrictions into Gaza
But the children would be able to break the record even without a judge by verifying the accomplishment in other ways, said Guinness spokeswoman Karolina Theli
Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the U.N. agency, said every child at the event had their kite registered in accordance with Guinness protocol, which he said event organizers followed with "military precision"
"The symbolism of thousands of children in one of the world's most locked up communities, creating beautiful kites, letting them soar upward, is truly beautiful," he said
Many of the children in the Hamas-ruled territory still bear psychological scars from Israel's devastating January offensive where some 1,400 Palestinians were killed, including more than 300 children