Gaza’s Palestinians Experience Sorrowful Iftar Amidst Hunger and Displacement During Ramadan.

2 min read 2024-03-13, 07:25 AM IST

The arrival of the first day of Ramadan in war-torn Gaza on Monday felt like any other day for Palestinians – marked by famine, disease, and the constant threat of bombings. As Muslims around the world welcomed the holy month with the customary daytime fast, many in Gaza endured bombardments that forced them to search through rubble for survivors and bodies once again.

According to a United Nations report citing Gaza’s health ministry under Hamas control, 25 people, mostly children, have succumbed to malnutrition and dehydration during the more than five months of conflict between Israel and Hamas. Access to northern Gaza for food and aid deliveries has been particularly challenging, exacerbating shortages that are felt even more keenly during Ramadan throughout the territory.

In Rafah, a southern border city where 1.5 million people have sought refuge, the usual generous iftar meal – breaking the day’s fast – was replaced by meager offerings like canned food and beans, as recounted by Mohammad al-Masry, a displaced resident from Khan Younis. “We didn’t prepare anything. What do displaced people have?” al-Masry lamented. “We don’t feel the joy of Ramadan… Look at the people staying in tents in the cold.”

Zaki Abu Mansour, 63, echoed these sentiments from inside his tent, where he spoke of having only a tomato and a cucumber with no means to acquire more food. Despite calls from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to cease hostilities during Ramadan, fighting continued unabated, with Hamas authorities reporting at least 67 casualties since Sunday and over 40 airstrikes across Gaza.

Amidst the hardship, some found solace in modest celebrations of Ramadan’s beginning, adorning their tents with makeshift decorations and distributing traditional lanterns. In Rafah, dozens gathered to pray in the ruins of a mosque recently struck by an Israeli airstrike, while displaced residents sat on the ground under decorative lights between makeshift tents, breaking their fast together.

The scenes of resilience and solidarity amidst adversity paint a picture of a community determined to preserve its traditions and find moments of peace and connection, even in the midst of conflict and deprivation.