My family’s first suhoor (the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting) this year
- Ahmed, my cousin, eats suhoor alone, without his wife, Kawkab, and his two children, who were killed by “Israel.”
- Sami, my cousin, eats suhoor alone in prison. He suffers from cancer. “Israel” arrested him.
- My grandmother, Amna, eats suhoor in her shelter home in Rafah. She was displaced by “Israel” several times, she was born years before the founding of Israel.
- My aunt Manal, a diabetic patient, suffers from nutritional deficiencies. Her suhoor meal is in northern Gaza, where there is no food at all.
- My aunt Sanaa does not know whether she will actually be able to secure her suhoor meal while she is besieged in Jabalia camp.
- My aunt Yusra is alone in Rafah, where she was displaced after 5 months of resilience in Gaza City, and she fell ill.
- My aunt Fayrouz will not eat. Israel killed her and ten members of her family
Journalist Belal Mortaja documents how, despite the devastation and ongoing danger, the people of north Gaza refuse to give up celebrating Eid al-Fitr under genocide.
A small marketplace has been erected among the rubble of destroyed shops and homes on Omar al-Mukhtar Street in Gaza City. Despite having so little food available, a small amount of festive sweets has been prepared. Premade candies and other snacks are available as well. Shops have gone through their decimated inventories to find clothing, toys, and goods that are still usable, and put them up for sale.
The size and spirit does not compare to a typical Eid market in Gaza, and money for purchases has mostly been depleted over the last six months. However, the social and emotional value of this gathering is incalculable. It is a testament to the determination, resilience, and community devotion of the people of north Gaza that the market has been constructed at all.