Eid al-Fitr in Gaza overshadowed by loss and desperation

On Eid, Palestinians generally begin the day with mosque prayers, followed by breakfast and visits to family and friends.

Men offer dinars and shekels to their moms, pay visits to their sisters, aunts, and nieces, and present eidiya, a monetary gift, to female relatives.

The men will be treated to coffee and treats in each residence. These visits are organised and frequently conclude with dinner invitations.

However, these ‘feel good’ moods have been defeated by the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.

Authorities in Palestine mobilised over 100,000 police and paramilitary forces to protect mosques and markets. Despite the tensions, individuals went about their everyday activities, with women observed shopping for bangles, jewellery, and clothes for themselves and their children.

Thousands gathered at the mosques to pray

Thousands of Muslims in Gaza were determined to partake in the Eid al-Fitr celebrations.

Over 60,000 Palestinians were reported to have come for Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.

However, the customary joyful atmosphere gave way to sombre reflections as people remembered the casualties of Israel’s six-month war on the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli police presence was significantly increased, with officers stationed at city entrances, adjacent regions, and alleyways. Some others were banned from entering the premises, so they prayed outside the mosque’s gates.

Despite limited access for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, more than 60,000 devout were able to offer prayers, commemorating the end of Ramadan, according to the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem.

Israel’s restrictions and UN warnings

Israel claimed 468 supply vehicles — the most since the conflict began — were let into Gaza on the eve of the holiday, which marked the end of the Muslim fasting month and is customarily celebrated with family reunions, Barron’s reported.

However, with the United Nations warning that the beleaguered enclave is on the edge of famine, there was nothing to feast on for Gaza’s 2.4 million citizens, up to 1.5 million of whom are crowded into camps near the far-southern city of Rafah.

Abir Sakik, 40, who fled Gaza City with her family and is now living in a tent in Rafah, she said in an interview that she didn’t have the “ingredients for the cakes and sweets” she used to make.

She instead made cakes with crushed dates. “We want to rejoice despite all the blood, death and shelling,” she told the news agency AFP.

A Rafah resident Moaz Abu Moussa also said that “despite the pain and massacres, we will show our happiness in these difficult circumstances”.

He told the news portal that, “We don’t care about the war, we will live Eid like other Muslims and show our happiness to the displaced people and families of martyrs and detainees.”

Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israel’s restrictions on access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque come as tensions rise across the occupied West Bank as a result of the Israeli army’s ongoing offensive in Gaza.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City has existed for almost 1,300 years. The structure has been revered as Islam’s third holiest site.

However, Jews see the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as the Temple Mount, believing it to be the site of ancient Jewish temples.

The international community does not acknowledge Israel’s 1980 annexation of East Jerusalem, which followed its occupation during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

Prayers for peace

Speakers during services requested prayers for Muslims in Gaza, who are dealing with the aftermath of six months of conflict.

“This is a time for both Muslims and non-Muslims to demonstrate humanitarian solidarity, recognizing that the conflict in Gaza is not rooted in religion but is a humanitarian crisis,” remarked Jimly Asshiddiqie, chair of the advisory board of the Indonesian Mosque Council.

In his message on the eve of Eid, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim appealed for unity and reconciliation, stating that no groups should be excluded for religious or other reasons.