Muslims in Gaza celebrated Eid al-Adha on Sunday under tents in the sweltering heat and bombed-out mosques, devoid of the typical joy as the Israel-Hamas conflict went on. “There’s no joy. “We have been robbed of it,” said Malakiya Salman, a 57-year-old displaced woman who is currently living in a tent in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.
Gazans, like Muslims around the world, would usually slaughter sheep during the occasion, which means “feast of the sacrifice” in Arabic, and distribute the meat to those in need.
Parents would also give their children new clothes and money to celebrate. But this year, after more than eight months of a catastrophic Israeli onslaught that has flattened most of Gaza, displaced the majority of the besieged territory’s 2.4 million people, and provoked repeated fears of famine, Eid is a day of sorrow for many. “I hope the world will put pressure to end the war on us, because we are truly dying, and our children are broken,” Salman remarked.
Her family was moved from Rafah, a recent hotspot of warfare following Hamas’ October 7 onslaught on southern Israel.
On Sunday morning, the military announced a “tactical pause of military activity” along a Rafah-area route to permit the delivery of vitally needed humanitarian goods to Gazans.
According to reports, there have been no reports of strikes or shelling since morning, while the Israeli military has stated that there is no cessation of hostilities in the southern Gaza Strip.
The brief pause in violence provided believers with a rare moment of peace on the holiday, which commemorates the biblical Abraham’s willingness to kill his son before God offered a sheep instead.
Many people gathered for the Eid al-Adha morning prayer in the courtyard of Gaza City’s ancient Omari Mosque, which had been extensively damaged by Israeli fire, and placed their torn prayer mats close to mounds of rubble.
The sound of prayers echoed across parts of the city’s devastated and abandoned streets. “There has been a sudden calm since this morning, with no gunfire or bombings…” “It’s strange,” remarked 30-year-old Haitham al-Ghura of Gaza City.
He expressed hope that the respite signified a lasting ceasefire was imminent, despite the fact that truce mediation efforts had been frozen for months. In various places of the war-torn region, particularly in Gaza City, young boys were spotted operating roadside stores selling perfumes, lotions, and other things against a backdrop of piles of rubble from demolished buildings and homes.
Many merchants in Gaza City’s main market street used umbrellas to shade themselves from the hot sun while selling household items. However, there were few buyers. Food and other commodities can cost four or five times their typical price, yet those who can continue to practise holiday customs they can afford.
In Khan Yunis, displaced man Majdi Abdul Raouf paid 4,500 shekels ($1,200) for a sheep to sacrifice, which is a little sum for most Gazans.
“I was determined to buy it despite the high prices so that I could perform these rituals and bring some joy and happiness to the children in the displacement camp,” said the 60-year-old, who fled his Rafah home. “There is sadness, severe pain and suffering, but I insisted on having a different kind of day.”
The deadliest-ever Gaza conflict began after Hamas launched an unprecedented offensive on Israel on October 7, killing 1,194 people, the majority of them were civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official numbers.
According to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, Israel’s retaliatory operation has killed at least 37,296 individuals, the majority of them are civilians.
Many people believe that putting an end to warfare will never be enough to reclaim what has been lost. “We’ve lost many people, and there’s a lot of destruction,” said Umm Muhammad al-Katri from the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.”This Eid is completely different,” she said, noting that many Gazans are forced to spend the holiday without loved ones who were killed or displaced during the conflict.
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On Sunday, grieving family came to cemeteries and other improvised burial sites, where the graves were marked with wooden planks. “I feel at ease here,” said Khalil Diab Essbiah at the cemetery where his two children are buried.
Hanaa Abu Jazar, who was also relocated from Rafah to the tent city of Khan Yunis, claimed, “We see the (Israeli) occupation killing children, women, and elderly.””How do we celebrate?
