Eid Celebrations in Gaza Bring Relief and Joy, but Lingering Pain of War Remains
Gaza City, Palestine – Across the Palestinian territories, as the holy month of Ramadan ended, thousands came together to mark the beginning of Eid. Traditionally a time of celebration and gathering with family and loved ones as Ramadan draws to a close, displaced Palestinians inside the besieged Gaza Strip welcomed this year’s celebration, while continuing to grapple with the hardships created by the Israeli genocide.
In the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, families gathered on March 21 to pray during the first of two Eid observances, Eid al-Fitr. Kneeling for prayer among the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip, families shared in an atmosphere of much-needed relief complicated by ongoing struggle and mourning.
“We, the displaced, scattered, homeless in these devastated and desolate places which emerged after war and widespread destruction, have come here to celebrate with the Eid prayer to revive what little hope and longing remains within us,” Abu Ali al-Dahdouh told Unicorn Riot.
At a prayer and celebration event led by the Al-Khair Foundation, families rekindled some of that hope. Children gathered together as clowns and other performers entertained the young crowd, while relatives and community members looked on with relief.
“I went out with my children so that they could feel joy,” Nidal Abu al-Nasr said. “It’s true that everyone lost loved ones – sons, fathers, and mothers – but thank God, for the first time in two years, I smiled,” he added.
This year’s Eid observance has been a welcome departure from last year’s, which took place under heavier Israeli bombardments and a total blockade on aid entering Gaza, leading to widespread hunger.
“Last year was destruction, martyrs, and a difficult life,” Fatima Sheikha said of the Eid al-Fatir prayer. “This year is completely different.”
Hear from Palestinians last year during Ramadan: Ramadan Among the Rubble in Gaza – [2025]
While this year’s celebration has been a welcome departure from those of the recent past in Gaza, for many like Sheikha, it stirs difficult memories of loved ones killed in the Israeli assault on the territory who are no longer present to join in the tradition.
Her brother, for one, was a fixture in her Eid celebrations before his death.
“He used to come to me in the evening and morning. He was martyred shortly before the end of the war in August,” Sheikha said. “My brother was the first to come to my house for Eid, and now there is no one.”
The loss of her brother, marked by the ongoing hardship that the war in Gaza has created, have left her to deal with the fallout while the world has shifted its attention elsewhere.
“The war has ended in the eyes of the world, but here, it hasn’t ended because I lost so much,” she said.
Despite the loss and difficulty, Sheikha and others celebrated Eid al-Fatr as a community, gathering to pray, eat food, laugh and continue their lives in defiance of Israel’s ongoing assault on the territory and the people who call it home.
“We are searching for joy amidst the destruction,” Nidal Abu al-Nasr said. “Amidst the destruction, we hold a celebration like this, and the children rejoice.”
In February, we reported from a community breakfast celebrating the first day of Ramadan where hundreds of displaced Palestinians gathered at Abu Hussein School in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip to celebrate together. The gathering took place 800 meters from Israel’s yellow line despite what Fouad Al-Mallah said was “the hardship, confinement, and lack of resources we face.”
“We are here near the yellow line,” Al-Mallah continued, “living in tents, living amidst the bombing and destruction. We brought the largest communal iftar for our people in Jabalia camp to alleviate their suffering and to make them feel the arrival of the blessed month of Ramadan.”
Help support Unicorn Riot contributor Mohamed El Saife as he seeks to get his family out of Gaza.
Watch our video from Ramadan 2025 that spotlights stories of displaced Palestinians attempting to practice their faith whilst surviving the horrors of the Israeli genocide.
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