The picture of Ramadan in Gaza completely differs from at any other time or in any other part of the world. Many of the people who used to breakfast with them during the fasts of the past years, many of them are no longer alive.
Many Gazans are spending Ramadan without relatives. On the one hand, the pain of losing loved ones, on the other hand, the life of Gazans is becoming unbearable day by day due to acute food shortage. Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 31 thousand people. At least more than 70,000 Palestinians stand injured.
Due to continuous attacks, this township of 2.2 million people is rubble now. Most of them faced displacement. There is no way for them to escape. No treatment is available. Even places to bury dead relatives are no longer available.
This year’s Ramadan is exceptional for Gazans for another reason. Now they spend their days not only in worship but also in trying to find their missing relatives who are scattered and separated.
They are making a last-ditch effort to reunite with their lost loved ones this Ramadan. Therefore, they are looking for their people by visiting different shelters. Again, they are looking for their bodies in the ruins of various buildings damaged by Israeli bombs. This is how Gazans spend their fasting days.
Gaza is in the face of famine. This Ramadan is a big test in Gaza. The main reason for this is the food crisis there. Although there is a food crisis in the whole of Gaza, there is a famine in northern Gaza. Several children have already died of starvation there.
Many thought that once the month of fasting began, the barbaric Israeli authorities would relent and allow aid to enter Gaza. However, the reality is that the entire Gaza Strip is suffering from severe food insecurity even though the month of Ramadan is underway and Israel’s ban on aid distribution is still in force.
At least 25 people have died from starvation alone in the Gaza Strip since October 7, according to Gaza authorities. Residents of northern Gaza are suffering the most. They have not received relief for several months. At least 576,000 of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents are one step away from famine, UN officials said. They demanded an urgent ceasefire to avoid famine.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said hunger is spreading across the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s deadly offensive on the besieged territory. Hunger is everywhere in Gaza. The UN agency said the holy month of Ramadan is underway but the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Valley is dire.
According to the agency, the situation in the north is dire, with appeals for ground aid being rejected despite repeated appeals. Ramadan has come and the death toll is increasing. Residents of Gaza preparing grass-leaf soup for Iftar and Sahri – pictures like these appear regularly on social media and make our hearts heavy.
Gazans do not even have mosques: The way Gazans spend Ramadan has nothing to do with the way Muslims celebrate Ramadan anywhere else. Where we can go to the mosque safely and peacefully to perform the duties, sunnah, and nafl; Gazans are not getting that opportunity either.
The Palestinian Authority says Israeli attacks in Gaza have destroyed more than 1,000 mosques since the beginning of the more than six-month conflict. This includes Al-Huda Mosque in the Rafah area in the south. Israeli forces destroyed it last month. At one time, one and a half thousand people could pray there. At present, worshipers are praying in a small area of the destroyed mosque.