“There is no Eid here. There are only human corpses. There are cries of injured people. How can we rejoice when our people are being killed,” said Sarah Amer, an 11-year-old girl from Gaza. And in the words of 7-year-old Tala Abu Amr, ‘There is no joy here.’
The Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated in Gaza on Wednesday. However, due to the indiscriminate attacks of Israel since October 7, there is no Eid this year in the valley. Even on Eid, there were attacks, and blood was shed.
Gaza authorities have reported that 33,634 people have died in the Gaza Strip so far due to Israeli attacks. Among them, almost 70% are women and children.
13 April, 2024
Eid was not like this in Gaza in previous years. This past year, the streets were crowded with people on the eve of Eid. They were busy shopping all night. All kinds of sweets, dates, and chocolates were sold in shops. New clothes were arranged in the shop. On the morning of Eid, Palestinians used to go in groups to offer Eid prayers. Everybody was happy all day long.
47-year-old Mohammed Al-Barbari was recalling that time. She lived with her six children in Gaza City before the Israeli offensive. He fled Rafah with his family six months ago in the face of the Israeli attack. “We stayed up all night,” said Mohammed. I used to buy sweets. I used to buy children’s clothes. This year we have to live in tents without essential items.
Israeli atrocities in Gaza have not only claimed Palestinian lives but there has been an acute shortage of food and water. Israel is not allowing the necessary relief to enter the valley. 2.4 million residents are in dire straits. Most of them have now taken refuge in the Rafah area in the southern area of Gaza.
Despite the hardships, many residents of Gaza are trying to share the joy of Eid. Harun Al-Medalal, who took refuge in Rafah, said that the women of Gaza are making biscuits to bring a smile to the faces of the children in Gaza who have lost their parents and homes. “We love life despite the suffering, destruction, displacement, and indiscriminate shelling,” Harun said.
Many Palestinians are mourning the loss of loved ones this Eid. A woman named Umm Ahmad said, “I was thinking of my husband after waking up on Eid day. He was martyred in this war.”
The biggest victims of Israeli brutality are the children of Gaza. One such child, Khalil Abu Hasnain, is admitted to a hospital in Ghazar Khan Younis area. Last year, he celebrated Eid at his home in the Sheikh Redwan area of Gaza City. Hasnain said, ‘We used to make cakes and biscuits, buy new clothes and wait for Eid. This Eid there is none of that.
Every Gazan now dreams of an end to this brutal aggression on innocent Palestinians, who are being killed and oppressed by Israel since 1948 and more since 7th October 23′. The International citizens of the world also want this war against humanity to be stopped as soon as possible.
