How the war in Gaza deprived Palestinians of beloved Ramadan rituals and traditions

Once accustomed to bountiful iftars during the holy month of Ramadan, Gazans now face food insecurity under Israeli siege, main and bottom. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 05 April 2024
Follow

How the war in Gaza deprived Palestinians of beloved Ramadan rituals and traditions

  • Once accustomed to bountiful iftars, Gazans now face catastrophic food insecurity under Israeli siege
  • While famine looms in the north, the trickle of aid reaching southern Gaza is ‘poor quality’ and ‘lacks nutrients’

LONDON: What would ordinarily be a time of celebration, feasting and family gatherings for Muslims in Gaza is instead one of fear, hunger and grief as families are forced to forgo the festivities during the holy month of Ramadan this year amid the ongoing conflict.

Yara Mahdi, a 19-year-old student in southern Gaza, said the Ramadan she knew and cherished from her childhood is a fading memory because of the destruction, displacement and shortages of food and essential supplies caused by the war.

“Ramadan in Gaza used to be the most wonderful time of the year, my most beloved month,” Mahdi told Arab News. “It was a time for family gatherings, bountiful feasts, and nights filled with laughter, love and life. Not the images you see today.”

Gazans long accustomed to abundant banquets, colorful street decorations and twinkling fairy lights during the holy month are instead enduring famine-like conditions, the destruction of their homes and the loss of loved ones.

A UN-backed report published on March 18 warned that because of Israeli restrictions on the amount of aid permitted to enter Gaza, the territory’s population of 2.3 million faces acute food insecurity, with about 300,000 people trapped in the north on the brink of famine.




People shop from vendors in an open-air market amidst destruction in Gaza City. (AFP)

On March 11, the first day of the holy month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged combatants “to honor the spirit of Ramadan by silencing the guns and removing all obstacles to ensure the delivery of lifesaving aid at the speed and massive scale required.”

Although the UN Security Council subsequently passed a resolution on March 25 demanding an immediate ceasefire during the holy month, the carnage in Gaza has raged on regardless.

Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel provoked retaliatory air and ground operations by the Israeli military in Gaza, almost 33,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gazan health ministry.

For the thousands of Palestinian families stricken by grief, the joy they felt during the Ramadan celebrations of previous years must feel like another life.

“The spirit of Ramadan filled the air of Gaza throughout the month,” said Mahdi, fondly recalling last year’s gatherings.




Yara’s extended family gathered for a Ramadan iftar last year. (Supplied)

“Starting mid-Ramadan, we held bustling iftars marked by a cozy familial ambiance. After the main meal, we used to have cold drinks, coffee and desserts, such as Nabulsi kunafa, Arabian kunafa, qatayef and kullaj, to name a few. We used to eat desserts every single evening during Ramadan.”

One activity Mahdi enjoyed even more than the family iftars was Taraweeh, the nighttime prayers she performed during the holy month with her friends at their mosque.

“Since I was a little girl, I used to go to Abu Khadra Mosque,” she said. “Last year, I performed Taraweeh with my friends every night, although it was a long walk after our house got bombed in the 2021 war and we had to move.

“The long walks were filled with chit chat and laughter. And during the last 10 days of Ramadan, we’d stay at the mosque until sunrise; we had sahoor there and performed the Fajr prayer.”

Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza have deprived Mahdi of her favorite Ramadan rituals; Abu Khadra Mosque is one of more than 1,000 mosques in the territory damaged or destroyed since Oct. 7.

Reem, a Palestinian physician who moved to England in 2019, also fondly recalled the Ramadan celebrations of years gone by. She said the holy month was the most cherished time of the year in her Gazan hometown, where the celebrations would often begin a week early.

“Markets would be bustling, with shops displaying different kinds of dates, nuts, dried fruit, juices and other goods in abundance, while the streets were alive with people shopping in preparation for Ramadan and visiting relatives,” she told Arab News.

“The streets would be adorned by captivating lights and Ramadan decorations, like lanterns. Shops and restaurants would also be playing Islamic songs, adding to the enchanting atmosphere.”




Gazans long accustomed to abundant banquets are enduring famine-like conditions this Ramadan. (Supplied)

Looking back on her favorite Ramadan activities, Reem said that in Gaza City the “restaurants would be jam-packed with customers enjoying the open buffet deals offered throughout the month.”

She added: “Rimal Street would be alive throughout Ramadan’s nights. The restaurants and shops shut in the morning and for part of the day, but after sunset the area would be alive with diners and shoppers.

“People would gather in Rimal for iftar meals, leisurely strolls with friends or shopping sprees at malls, many preparing for Eid Al-Fitr.”

Reem said the upscale restaurants her family frequented included Mazaj and Lighthouse, both of which offered buffets featuring traditional Ramadan delicacies. The beachfront was also a popular destination, dotted with lively restaurants.




A street vendor prepares raw qatayef, folded pancakes or dumplings, in Gaza City. (AFP)

“After breaking their fast, many people also went for seaside strolls in Al-Mina neighborhood, where they would savor ice cream or enjoy a cold beverage until it was time for Taraweeh,” she said. “Many would then go to the mosques or retire home to pray and prepare for the next day.”

Describing the hospitality and generosity of Gaza’s residents, she said her family “often had guests at home and were invited to the homes of friends and relatives. Every iftar was a feast of mouth-watering dishes. Not only did people (in Gaza) donate to the poor during the month, but they also distributed food and sweets to neighbors and relatives.”

Nourhan Attallah, a nutritionist and pharmacist in southern Gaza, said that Ramadan was “a very productive and lucrative month, full of work and passion” in previous years.

“As a nutritionist, I accepted clients throughout the year and shared reels and advice on social media about healthy eating,” she told Arab News.

“But during Ramadan, the number of my clients would significantly increase as many people sought to follow healthy diets, be it to lose weight or stay healthy during the month of fasting. This additional work helped me to cover the Ramadan budget, which was often higher than the rest of the year.

“Food was plentiful in Gaza before the war, and I easily found all the ingredients I needed to create healthy dishes.”




Many places of worship have been destroyed by Israeli bombardment, impacting how Palestinians perform their Ramadan rituals. (AFP)

What food can be found in southern Gaza now, under Israel’s tight embargo, is of “very poor quality” and the “choices are extremely limited,” said Attallah.

“There is no animal protein at all and even if we managed to come across it, it would be at skyrocketing prices. For example, one kilo of beef now costs around $70. Before Oct. 7, it cost a maximum of $20.”

When some of her regular clients approached her for advice on ways to stay healthy during Ramadan this year, Attallah said she “could not put together a diet plan comprising the food accessible in southern Gaza.”

She added: “I felt overcome with despair because I couldn’t adapt and properly perform my profession in this situation.

“I myself cannot follow a healthy diet with the food we have. There are very limited options available and this has nothing to do with a person’s income. Whether rich or poor, everyone in Gaza has been impacted by the food and water shortages.”

INNUMBERS

• 32k+ Palestinians killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7.

• 80% Proportion of Gaza’s 2.3 million-strong population who are displaced.

• 70% Proportion of the population in the north already suffering catastrophic hunger.

UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations accuse Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, which amounts to a war crime. Israeli authorities reject the accusation, insisting that they allow sufficient amounts food and essentials to enter the enclave.

However, tonnes of desperately needed aid supplies bound for Gaza are stuck at the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt as Israel continues to limit the flow of trucks entering the territory, in what UN chief Guterres described as a “moral outrage.”

A trickle of aid does manage to reach people in the south of the territory but, Attallah said, “the quality of food and water is horrible. Add to this the difficult living conditions and overcrowding in southern Gaza, and this together has caused malnutrition to soar.

“Aid has been meager and does not cover essential nutrition needs. We don’t need aid just because we’re hungry. We need nutritious food that would sustain our bodies. We need food rich in minerals and vitamins.”




Gazans long accustomed to abundant banquets are enduring famine-like conditions this Ramadan. (Supplied)

Instead, Gazans primarily depend for survival on carbohydrates, such as rice, pasta and potatoes, and canned food, which “lack nutrients,” said Attallah.

“Now, we eat fava beans every day. Literally, we open a can of fava beans for every sahoor because it’s affordable and available. This is distressing.”

For those in northern Gaza who do not have reliable access to even the most basic of foodstuffs, the lack of sufficient nutrition is causing disease and harming the growth and development of children.

“When people see my posts on social media about the harms of the canned food we receive, they say we’re being ungrateful. They tell me to be grateful because aid is reaching us,” said Attallah.

“Yes, we’re grateful, but we need aid that will sustain us, not harm our bodies.”

The children in Israel’s prisons
Ongoing hostage-for-prisoners exchange opens the world’s eyes to arrests, interrogations, and even abuse of Palestinian children by Israeli authorities

Enter


keywords

Iraq plans to build 10 dams to harvest desert rains, as drought displaces 10,000 families in Dhi Qar

Updated 3 sec ago
Follow

Iraq plans to build 10 dams to harvest desert rains, as drought displaces 10,000 families in Dhi Qar

  • As water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers dwindle, the aim is to store rainwater and floodwater to help boost strategic reserves
  • Dhi Qar Governorate is experiencing one of its worst summers, with severe water shortages and drought forcing people in rural areas to migrate

LONDON: Iraq has announced plans to build 10 dams to harvest water in desert areas, as part of an urgent strategy to boost water security amid dwindling supplies.

The effects of climate change and the construction of dams in neighboring countries, including Turkiye, have significantly affected water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which are vital lifelines for Iraqis.

The Iraqi minister of water resources, Awn Dhiab Abdullah, said on Monday that the dams would store floodwater and rainwater in the desert to build up strategic reserves, especially in provinces lacking in surface-water resources.

“The shortage the country is experiencing is the most dangerous in its history, forcing 12 provinces to rely exclusively on groundwater to cover their various needs,” he said.

Dhi Qar, which is in southern Iraq, has experienced one of its worst summers on record, with severe water shortages and drought forcing nearly 10,000 families in rural areas to abandon their homes and migrate to urban areas.

Abdullah said that more than half of Iraq’s desert region relies on groundwater supplies. He emphasized the importance of water-harvesting projects and the need to reduce dependence on traditional sources.


Iraqis face difficult return from Syria camp for Daesh families

Updated 18 min 16 sec ago
Follow

Iraqis face difficult return from Syria camp for Daesh families

MOSUL: After years in a Syrian detention camp, Ibrahim Darwish was relieved to be allowed to return home to Iraq, but his joy was quickly punctured by the harsh reality that he had to disown his sons accused of being militants.

“All I wanted was to return to Iraq,” the 64-year-old said of his time in the Kurdish-controlled Al-Hol camp, where family members of suspected Daesh fighters are held in prison-like conditions alongside refugees and displaced people.

But back home in Iraq, “I had to disown my sons. My house is gone,” he said. “I am back to square one.”

Thousands of Iraqi returnees from the camp have faced major obstacles reintegrating into their communities, their perceived affiliation with Daesh casting a dark shadow over their prospects.

They described armed groups and local authorities in some areas pressuring returnees to cut ties with relatives suspected of Daesh links as a precondition for going home or obtaining essential documents.

A lawyer for many returnees equated the pledges of disownment to denunciations, “essentially complaints by one family member against another.”

He also warned of a widespread misconception among returnees that they must comply in order to obtain identity cards and other government papers.

But a senior Iraqi official insisted that the authorities supported reintegration, including when it came to the issuance of documents.

Requesting “disownment statements has become illegal, and anyone who asks for it should be reported,” the official said.

Darwish said he was allowed to leave Al-Hol after receiving Iraqi security clearance and support from his tribal leader.

Back in Iraq, he spent the first several months at Al-Jadaa camp, presented by the authorities as a “rehabilitation” center where returnees wait for further permission to return home.

There, “we felt the most welcome,” Darwish said.

But when it was time to go home to Salaheddin province, Darwish said local authorities told him he first had to disown his sons, who are locked away on suspicion of joining Daesh — a charge he denies.

Reluctantly, he complied.

Otherwise, “how was I going to farm my land and make ends meet?” he said.

In the northern city of Mosul, one woman in her thirties said she was afraid to return to her hometown in Salaheddin, where her father was arrested upon his arrival and later passed away in prison.

She is currently squatting with her sister and children in a dilapidated house, living in fear of eviction.

When the family first returned to Iraq, she said, people “looked at us differently, just because we came from Al-Hol.”

Now her concern is obtaining new identity cards, which are essential for accessing healthcare, education and employment, and she fears she will have to disown her husband to do so.

The authorities, she said, “did well” by bringing them back from Al-Hol, where many speak of increased violence, but they must now solve the issue of reintegration.

“We need them to support us so we can stand on our feet,” she added.

Thanassis Cambanis, director of New York-based Century International, said the returnees “face a murky future,” especially since some of those tarred as Daesh families are denied documentation.

“At a minimum, collective punishment of the Daesh families is an injustice and a moral error,” Cambanis warned.

“At a maximum, Iraq’s policy creates a ripe pool of potential recruits for violent sectarian extremists.”

While many countries refuse to repatriate their nationals from Al-Hol, Baghdad has so far brought back around 17,000 people, mostly women and children.

Local and international organizations facilitated reintegration. The Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, a Geneva-registered organization that focuses on preventing extremism, supports several centers that have so far assisted around 6,000 returnees.

According to the fund’s Kevin Osborne, the centers provide services such as psychosocial support and vocational training.

But the growing number of returnees requires “expanded support to adequately prepare communities and enable smooth, sustainable reintegration,” Osborne said.

Noran Mahmood, of the GCREF-supported Iraqi Institution for Development, said many returnees fear “society’s refusal” to welcome them, as if having spent time in Al-Hol is a “disgrace.”

Her organization in Mosul provides counselling for the many returnees who suffer from depression, insomnia and anxiety.

Rahaf, 24, is one of the many women receiving help after years of accumulated trauma.

With the organization’s assistance, she achieved her long-held dream of furthering her education, enrolling in middle school.

“I feel successful,” she said. “I want to become a lawyer or a teacher.”


Egypt says Israel-EU agreement has not increased aid to Gaza

Palestinians react as they ask for food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
Updated 23 min 57 sec ago
Follow

Egypt says Israel-EU agreement has not increased aid to Gaza

  • “There is a real catastrophe happening in Gaza resulting from the continuation of the Israeli siege,” Safadi said
  • Israel’s continued military operations and blockade have left the entire population of 2.3 million people in Gaza facing acute food insecurity

BRUSSELS: Egypt’s foreign minister said on Monday that the flow of aid into Gaza has not increased despite an agreement last week between Israel and the European Union that should have had that result.
“Nothing has changed (on the ground),” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters ahead of the EU-Middle East meeting in Brussels on Monday.
The EU’s top diplomat said on Thursday that the bloc and Israel agreed to improve Gaza’s humanitarian situation, including increasing the number of aid trucks and opening crossing points and aid routes.
Asked what steps Israel has taken, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar referred to an understanding with the EU but did not provide details on implementation.
Asked if there were improvements after the agreement, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters that the situation in Gaza remains “catastrophic.”
“There is a real catastrophe happening in Gaza resulting from the continuation of the Israeli siege,” he said.
Safadi said Israel allowed the entry of 40 to 50 trucks days ago from Jordan but that was “far from being sufficient” for the besieged enclave.
EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of Monday’s meeting that there have been some signs of progress on Gaza aid but not enough improvement on the ground.
Israel’s continued military operations and blockade have left the entire population of 2.3 million people in Gaza facing acute food insecurity, with nearly half a million at risk of famine by the end of September, a joint United Nations report said last month.


Lebanese army shuts illegal crossings along border with Syria

Updated 53 min 6 sec ago
Follow

Lebanese army shuts illegal crossings along border with Syria

  • The routes had become havens for human trafficking, smuggling drugs, weapons
  • Army using mounds of earth, rocks to stop vehicles, source says

BEIRUT: A patrol from the Lebanese army and the Intelligence Directorate on Monday closed several smuggling routes in Masharih Al-Qaa, a region between Lebanon and Syria that lacks clearly defined borders.

A Lebanese military source said the area was used for smuggling goods, fuel and people and that the army head “erected dirt mounds and rocks to prevent the passage of vehicles and motorcycles.”

The border between Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic stretches about 375 km and runs through towns, villages and mountainous regions. The Lebanese government estimates there to be 136 illegal crossing points, of which more than half are in the Bekaa region.

A shortage of personnel and surveillance equipment means many of these areas are vulnerable to criminal activity, including human trafficking and the smuggling of weapons, drugs and other goods.

These open borders have served the interests of Hezbollah and Palestinian factions allied with Syria. Over the years, Hezbollah has established its own border crossings and helped protect others used by smugglers from its support base.

Palestinian factions also established their border posts, which served as channels for weapons and people. Dismantling them was the first task undertaken by the Lebanese army in implementing the policy of confining weapons to the hands of the state.

The army on Sunday denied claims made on social media that armed men had entered Lebanon from Syria via the eastern mountain range and that it had withdrawn from border areas in the Bekaa.

Military units “continue to carry out their routine missions to control the Lebanese-Syrian border, while also monitoring the internal security situation to prevent any breach,” it said.

It also appealed for “accuracy in reporting news related to the army and the security situation, to act responsibly and to refrain from spreading rumors that lead to tension among citizens.”

Since the regime change in Syria, several meetings between the two countries have been held to improve coordination on border security.

On March 28, Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa and his Syrian counterpart, Murhaf Abu Qasra, signed an agreement in Jeddah regarding border demarcation and the strengthening of security coordination. This came in the wake of violent clashes between the Syrian army and groups affiliated with Hezbollah along the border earlier in the month.

The issue of undefined borders dates back to the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, when France was granted the mandate over the two countries and drew the borders in a vague and incomplete manner. Some parts were demarcated in 1934, but large areas remained undefined. The Syrian regime later refused to officially recognize Lebanon as an independent state and considered it part of “Greater Syria.”

Kuwait expresses solidarity

On Monday, the Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

He said that Lebanon “will remain Lebanon” and that the “arms issue will be resolved soon.”

He also affirmed Kuwait’s support for Lebanon “in all areas, especially security cooperation” and called for activating the work of the Kuwaiti-Lebanese Higher Joint Committee to explore avenues for assisting Lebanon.

The president’s media office said Aoun told the Kuwaiti minister of the “importance of coordination to address common challenges, particularly in terms of security cooperation to combat drug smuggling and anything that threatens security in both countries.”


Lebanese army destroys major captagon and crystal meth lab, seals off tunnel

The seized materials are now in the custody of the security agencies. (AFP file photo)
Updated 56 min 29 sec ago
Follow

Lebanese army destroys major captagon and crystal meth lab, seals off tunnel

  • Forces seize ‘huge quantity’ of narcotics from the manufacturing facility in the town of Yammoune in the Baalbek region
  • 10 tonnes of equipment used by the lab destroyed or dismantled; 300m entrance tunnel and storage area filled in

BEIRUT: The Lebanese army has dismantled what it described as one of the largest captagon pill-manufacturing labs discovered to date in Yammoune in the Baalbek region of eastern Lebanon. Army chiefs said on Monday that forces raided the facility 24 hours earlier.

“After the Intelligence Directorate obtained information about a major captagon pill lab in the town of Yammoune, a patrol from the directorate, supported by a unit from the army, carried out a raid on the lab,” it said.

“The personnel dismantled the equipment and machinery used, weighing about 10 tonnes, and destroyed part of it.”

The patrol also “seized a huge quantity of captagon pills, crystal meth, and various other narcotic substances.”

Army chiefs added: “The lab contained a tunnel used for entry and exit, and army personnel brought in a bulldozer and filled in the tunnel, which was approximately 300 meters long.” The tunnel was “also used to store part of the lab’s equipment.”

The statement did not reveal who was operating the lab or whether anyone was arrested during the raid.

“The seized materials are now in the custody of the security agencies,” it said. “An investigation has begun under the supervision of the competent judiciary, and efforts are ongoing to arrest those involved.”