Ramadan in ruins: Gaza's Palestinians mark third holy month amid grief and displacement

The first few days of Ramadan have brought little relief to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

As world leaders convened in Washington for the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump's controversial Board of Peace and pledged billions for Gaza reconstruction, residents of the devastated enclave say the atmosphere remains heavy with loss, displacement and intermittent bombardment - much like the two Ramadans observed during the war. 

A similar ceasefire reached in January last year collapsed during the holy month after Israel unilaterally breached the truce and resumed its assault, leaving many uncertain about what lies ahead.

This year, the families of more than 72,000 Palestinians killed in relentless Israeli bombardment since October 2023 are forced to face Ramadan in a void of grief, loss and shattered gatherings.

"There is no real difference between Ramadan now and Ramadan during the war. The only difference is that some of the killing and bloodshed has stopped," Ziad Dhair, a displaced Palestinian from northern Gaza, told Middle East Eye from his makeshift tent in Nuseirat refugee camp.

For Dhair, the absence of loved ones defines this year's holy month.

"We have lost the gatherings of the people we love. There is no one left for me today. I am still displaced from northern Gaza, and I have no siblings or friends here. All my friends have been martyred, only one remains. From my family, the dearest people have been martyred."

Despite the relative lull in large-scale bombardment, attacks have not fully ceased. On the first two days of Ramadan, the Israeli military killed two Palestinians and injured four others across the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire agreement in October, at least 603 Palestinians have been killed and 1,618 others wounded, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.

Most of the fatalities have occurred in bombings and shootings near the Yellow Line, while others were killed in Israeli strikes on areas meant to be safe.

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For many families, the ceasefire has altered the intensity of the attacks but not the reality of grief, displacement and shattered communities that continue to shape daily life in Gaza.

"During Ramadan, before the war began in 2023, we used to hang decorations, buy food and desserts, and watch Ramadan series. Today, none of that exists," Dhair continued.

"Our life is simple in a tent, and we can hardly find a friend to wish Ramadan Mubarak to. We used to invite each other for Iftar [fast-breaking meal]. Today, all I have are memories. I keep remembering that on this day, a friend would invite me over for Iftar."

Dhair added that Ramadan cannot feel the same, even under the ceasefire, as he is still barred from returning to his neighbourhood.

"The war has not stopped. I cannot even reach my home. I cannot see it because it lies in an area we are forbidden to enter and remains under occupation," he said.

"The war cannot have stopped when I am still unable to even see the rubble of my home."

Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel has enforced the "Yellow Line", a military no-go zone in northern and eastern Gaza that remains under Israeli control.

Since October, Israeli forces have gradually pushed the Yellow Line westward, bringing roughly 58 percent of Gaza under their control and annexing more neighbourhoods, leaving tens of thousands of Palestinians unable to access their homes.

Ramadan in a tent

Umm Mohammed Abu Qamar, a longtime resident of Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, managed to spend the past two Ramadans in her home despite the heavy attacks.

This year, however, she is forced to observe the holy month in a makeshift tent in central Gaza, far from the home and community she once knew.

"The first day of Ramadan was sad because I did not spend it in my home," the 50-year-old woman told MEE.

"I spent the past two Ramadans in my house in Jabalia, even though we had to put up zinc sheets instead of the destroyed walls. Today, I am in a tent. I miss my home, I miss Jabalia. I long to return and smell its soil."

Although some parts of Jabalia remain accessible, most residents have yet to return, either because their neighbourhoods were completely flattened or due to the ongoing Israeli attacks in the area.

'As soon as they announced that the Ramadan crescent moon had been sighted, my eyes filled with tears'

- Fouad Hijazi, displaced Palestinian

Alongside the profound pain of displacement, Abu Qamar is spending Ramadan this year without her two sisters and two sons-in-law who were killed in Israeli attacks.

"On the first day of Ramadan, my thoughts were with them, especially my older sister, who raised me. I always considered her like a mother. My younger sister was my friend. We used to gather and invite one another for Iftar," she recounted.

"This Ramadan feels different because the gatherings are gone. We used to share Iftar together. Today, my two daughters are without their husbands. My younger daughter is 19, and the other is 24. One of their husbands was a journalist, and the other worked as a chef in a cake factory."

Fouad Hijazi, originally a resident of Gaza City, shares the same grief.

"As soon as they announced that the Ramadan crescent moon had been sighted, my eyes filled with tears," he told MEE. "I missed my father and brother, who were martyred, as well as around 20 of my friends. During Ramadan, we used to buy things together and have Iftar together."

Over the past two years, Palestinians across the Gaza Strip have observed Ramadan under an Israeli-imposed starvation, during which Israeli forces killed hundreds of Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza City, in what was dubbed as the "flour massacres".

This Ramadan, Gaza's markets resemble the pre-war period, with shelves once again stocked with goods.

Yet for many in Gaza, these items remain largely out of reach, unaffordable amid the near-total devastation of the impoverished strip's economic sector.

"I have been without work for two-and-a-half years. I cannot afford the current prices, even when goods are available. So we rely on charity kitchens," Hijazi said.

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"We spend the day filling water and collecting firewood. We receive the food from charity kitchens by midday, so by Iftar time, the food has cooled, and we have to light fires to warm it," Hijazi said.

Although the ceasefire agreement stipulated the entry of around 1,500 truckloads of cooking gas into Gaza by the end of January, only 307 trucks, carrying about 6,458 tonnes of gas, had actually arrived, covering roughly 20  percent of the strip's needs, according to Gaza's General Petroleum Authority.

As a result, many families are forced to rely on firewood for cooking during Ramadan, much like during the war.

In a way, Hijazi said, "today's situation is harder than the starvation we experienced during Ramadan over the past two years".

"During the starvation, the goods simply were not there. Today, we see them but cannot buy them for our children. We have lost all our money on displacement, buying tents and moving from one area to another.

"By the time Ramadan arrived, we were completely unprepared."