A Palestinian family displaced in Gaza marked the first day of Ramadan on Wednesday under a fragile ceasefire, gathering meals from a charity kitchen instead of celebrating with the food and family gatherings that traditionally define the month. Waleed al Zamli, a father of 11 now sheltering in a tent camp in Muwasi, said the loss of his home, his job, and a family member to the conflict have stripped the religious observance of joy. “This year, there’s no happiness,” he said.
Many Palestinians in Gaza say Ramadan’s typically festive spirit is eluding them as they struggle with displacement, grief, and economic hardship, conditions the ceasefire has done little to ease.
Al Zamli lost his job after the shop where he had worked was destroyed in Israel’s military offensive. His family now depends on meals from a charity kitchen for daily food, including the iftar meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan. His wife picked up meals from the kitchen on Wednesday and made soup to accompany them.
The economic strain has made even basic foods unaffordable. “The children want to feel happy like other people’s children, to get dressed and to eat something clean and special,” al Zamli said.
Ramadan without celebration
For observant Muslims like al Zamli, Ramadan means fasting from dawn to sunset in a month traditionally marked by spiritual reflection and family gatherings. Many Palestinians in Gaza are observing the month under conditions far from normal. At the charity kitchen in Muwasi, dozens crowded daily with empty pots, many with their arms outstretched as they sought spots in line. The crowd included children, women, and elderly people.
The toll of conflict
Israel’s military offensive, launched after a Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. That attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants took 251 hostages. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire began on Oct. 10, but the agreement has proven fragile.
While the heaviest fighting has subsided, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones. More than 600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza health officials. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though it does not distinguish between civilians and militants. Israel says its strikes are in response to militant attacks; four Israeli soldiers have been killed.
Finding moments of tradition
Some Palestinians have worked to bring touches of Ramadan’s spirit amid the destruction. At their displacement camp, al Zamli’s children played with empty soda cans fashioned to look like Ramadan lanterns.
Al Zamli said the war has deprived him and his family of many things. A son-in-law, he said, was killed shortly after marrying his daughter. This Ramadan, he will pray “for the bloodshed to end … and to feel security, safety, and tranquility” and “to be able to provide good food and clothes for our children.”