Palestinian Territories, JUNE 17: As the war in Gaza drags into its eighth month, displaced residents find no reason to celebrate Eid.
The joy and spirit of the holiday have been replaced with sorrow and a yearning for peace.
Amer Ajour, a resident from Rafah now displaced in Deir el-Balah, expressed the widespread sentiment among Gazans.
“There is no Eid spirit. Eid is when we return to our homes, it’s when the war ends, and there’s a ceasefire so that every person from the Gaza Strip returns to their home, that’s when we’ll celebrate Eid. As for Eid, when every day there is a victim and a martyr, that’s not Eid.” he said.
Echoing these sentiments, Youssef Dohan, another displaced resident, shared his despair.
“What Eid? This is not Eid. The Eid is when we return to our homeland, when the war ends and we are reunited. This is not a Eid.
“Unfortunately, at the moment, we do not have a Eid, we have destruction, we’re exiled and we’re lonely.” Youssef said.
Youssef further emphasized the daily struggles faced by Gazans.
“We suffer daily from massacres in the Gaza Strip, whether it be in the north or the south unfortunately.
“We’re scared when we leave our homes, we’re scared when we sleep, we’re scared when we wake up. What Eid? This is not Eid.” he added.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Awad, also displaced from Rafah, highlighted the dire living conditions they face.
“We’re spending Eid in tents, we’re displaced and homeless. There’s been a war on the Gaza Strip for eight consecutive months, and the international community is watching silently without doing anything about it, that’s all we have to say.
“We call on the international community to stop the war and the Zionist war machine unleashed on Gaza in the last eight months.” he pleaded.
As of the latest reports, the death toll in the ongoing Gaza conflict stands at over 37,700 Palestinians and 1,139 Israelis.
The conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, has resulted in significant civilian casualties, with a large number of women and children among the dead.
The violence has also caused extensive destruction of infrastructure and exacerbated humanitarian crises in Gaza, with many people still buried under rubble and suffering from preventable diseases and malnutrition. – TVS
