‘Eid of Sadness’: Gaza marks festival amid Israeli bombings, lack of food

At least 20 people, mostly women and children, killed on the first day of Eid al-Fitr amid a huge food crisis.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had little to celebrate as they marked Eid al-Fitr with rapidly dwindling food supplies and no end in sight to the Israeli bombardment.

Many held prayers outside demolished mosques on the day marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, as at least 20 Palestinians were killed on Sunday, most of them women and children.

The Muslim festival is supposed to be a joyous occasion, when families gather for feasts and buy new clothes for children – but most of Gaza’s two million Palestinians are just trying to survive.

“It’s the Eid of Sadness,” Adel al-Shaer said after attending outdoor prayers in the central town of Deir el-Balah. “We lost our loved ones, our children, our lives, and our futures. We lost our students, our schools, and our institutions. We lost everything.”

Twenty members of his extended family have been killed in Israeli attacks, including four young nephews just a few days ago, he said as he broke into tears.

On March 18, Israel abruptly ended a fragile two-month ceasefire as it resumed its intense bombing campaign and ground operations in Gaza. Israel has since killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians and has allowed no food, fuel or humanitarian aid to enter for four weeks.

Arab mediators are trying to get the truce back on track, and Hamas said on Saturday it had accepted a new proposal from Egypt and Qatar, the exact details of which were not immediately known. Israel said it had advanced its own proposal in coordination with the United States, which has also been mediating.

Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

Eid al-Fitr prayer in Gaza

CAUTION: As Muslims across the world observe the Eid-el-Fitr 1446 AH today, Muslim News Nigeria calls for moderate and modest celebrations. We should essentially refrain from actions that represent extravagance and insensitivity, including the wasting of food and drinks.

This is in honour of the less privileged people who are finding it difficult to feed during this period of harsh global economic realities, and especially our brothers in Palestine, who have been under occupation by the Israeli regime and are living in penury.

This season and beyond, we should be generous and show love to people around us by sharing gifts, food, drinks, and other essential material for them to have a splendid Eid celebration.

– Rasheed Abubakar