Gaza City residents are preparing to welcome Ramadan beginning Wednesday while a fragile ceasefire is still in place, but many say the day-to-day reality of the Israel-Hamas war has hollowed out the month’s customary sense of celebration. Fedaa Ayyad, speaking from Gaza City, said her family’s losses have left her unable to experience joy in the way she associates with the holy month.
In ordinary circumstances, Ramadan brings families and friends together after the daily fast from dawn to sunset, along with more worship, religious reflection and charity. This year, residents said the war has made those gatherings and routines far harder to sustain, with displacement, destruction and grief shaping daily life. Ayyad contrasted what she said was possible in the past with what she described as a present-day emotional numbness.
Waleed Zaqzouq said economic woes have also cast a pall on Ramadan preparations as people visit markets. “There is no cash among the people. There is no work. It’s true that it is Ramadan, but Ramadan requires money,” Zaqzouq said, adding that merchants should consider people’s financial hardship. He said before the war, “people lived a dignified life,” but the situation had “completely changed,” leaving people “devastated and worn down.”
The Oct. 10 U.S.-brokered ceasefire was intended to halt more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the report said there has been almost daily Israeli fire in Gaza, including repeated airstrikes and frequent shootings on Palestinians near military-held zones. Gaza health officials, the report said, attributed more than 600 deaths to those attacks, and said the Hamas-led government maintains detailed casualty records that are generally considered reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though the records do not distinguish between civilians and militants.
The report also said that militants have carried out shooting attacks on Israeli troops and that Israel says its strikes are in response to those violations. It said four Israeli soldiers have been killed.
Winter conditions have added to what residents described as already grim circumstances for displaced people. The report said severe cold has caused child deaths in Gaza and torrential rain has flooded displacement camps and collapsed buildings damaged by the fighting.
In Gaza City, Raed Koheel said the change from previous Ramadans is visible in daily life, not only in personal loss. “There is much that has changed from this Ramadan to Ramadan before the war,” Koheel said. He described earlier months as having streets with decorations and children “happy,” contrasting that with the current environment.
Even so, the report said some residents have worked to bring a taste of Ramadan’s festivities to areas scarred by fighting. In Khan Younis, calligrapher and artist Hani Dahman painted “Welcome, Ramadan” in Arabic while children watched.
“We are here in Khan Younis camp, trying to bring happiness to the hearts of children, women, men and entire families,” Dahman said. “We are … sending a message to the world that we are people who seek life.” Mohammed Taniri watched the decorations take shape and said, “When they provide such beautiful, simple decorations, it brings joy to the children,” adding that despite hardships, families were trying to create a “beautiful atmosphere.”