Kite Carrying Palestinian Children's Messages Reaches Mount Everest Summit

The hopes and dreams of Palestinian children in Gaza have reached the highest place in the world. A kite carrying messages written by their own hands was carried to the summit of Mount Everest by a team of mountaineers.

The team summited the world's tallest peak at 10:48 AM on Thursday. Mostafa Salameh, a Jordanian-Palestinian mountaineer who led the expedition but did not reach the summit himself, confirmed this via social media.

A team of Nepali Sherpas, led by Italian filmmaker and explorer Leonardo Avezzano, carried the kite. The objective was for the dreams of the besieged children of Gaza to reach 'the top of the world'.

Salameh told Al Jazeera from Everest Base Camp last week. Salameh, who had previously summited Everest, stayed at Base Camp 1 due to frostbite and blood clotting issues.

The 56-year-old mountaineer Salameh launched this expedition with the aim of raising $10 million in medical aid for children affected by the Israeli genocide in Gaza and to draw the world's attention to the hardships they are facing.

Salameh praised Avezzano and his team, who documented the journey to the summit.

'After months of preparation, sacrifice, training, fear, hope, prayer, and carrying the burden of a message much larger than myself, the kite carrying the dreams of the children of Gaza is now flying above the highest point on Earth,' Salameh said in a video posted on Instagram.

'From the rubble and suffering of Gaza... to the roof of the world. A dream that refused to die,' he wrote in the caption.

Salameh praised Avezzano and his team, who documented the journey to the summit. 'Tonight, in the 'Death Zone' at an altitude of 8,848 meters, where every step is a struggle between life and exhaustion. Leonardo carried that kite with courage, emotion, and purpose,' Salameh said.

'I am extremely proud of my brother Leonardo, who believed in this expedition and carried the voices, names, hopes, and dreams of children that the world needs to see,' he added.

He said that this climb was not just about climbing a mountain, but a testament to humanity, hope, and that 'even from darkness, beautiful things can fly in the sky'.

'Great respect and gratitude to the incredible Sherpa team. They are the true heroes of the Himalayas. This would not have been possible without their strength, intelligence, and heart. Thank you for carrying this expedition safely to the summit while ensuring the team's safety,' Salameh wrote.

Mount Everest is one of the world's most dangerous climbs, as the amount of oxygen near the summit drops to dangerously low levels.

'The expedition is not over yet,' Salameh said, as climbing Everest is only half the journey. Now, Leonardo and his team's next goal is to return safely to Base Camp. Depending on the weather, they will decide whether to stay at Camp 4 or descend to Camp 2.

'Tonight the kite is flying above Everest; tonight the dreams of Gaza have touched the sky,' Salameh said, ending the video with a chant of 'Free, Free Palestine'.

• An attempt to tell 'the story of every Palestinian child'

Salameh is one of the 20 individuals who have completed the 'Explorer Slam', meaning he has reached the North and South Poles and summited the highest peaks on all seven continents.

He has summited Mount Everest four times. After his first ascent in 2008, he was honored with a 'knighthood' by King Abdullah II of Jordan.

'I have learned a great lesson from them. I have learned respect, I have learned freedom. I have learned not just to be strong, but to stand by my own truth.'

'The best I can do is climb mountains,' he told Al Jazeera from Base Camp last week. 'I had promised many people in my life not to climb Everest again, but I had to climb now. As a mountaineer, the most I can do is carry the story and suffering of every Palestinian child to the top of the world.'

Salameh accepted the risks of climbing Everest (including death). He compared the condition of having only 15 percent oxygen at an altitude of 8,000 meters to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, saying, 'This is nothing compared to that.'

'This time is very personal for me,' he said in another video. 'It touches my childhood because I know what it's like to grow up as a child in a refugee camp. I can feel the suffering of the children of Gaza.'

'What's even more personal is that I have met those children. I couldn't go to Gaza, but I met them on the border with Egypt, I stayed with them, and it moved me.'

He said that the Palestinian people inspire him to move forward even in difficult circumstances.

'No matter what; their homes are destroyed, but they pitch tents on their land.'

'I have learned a great lesson from them. I have learned respect, I have learned freedom. I have learned not just to be strong, but to stand by my own truth.'

(Anushe, based in Karachi, is an independent journalist.)

From Al Jazeera