Gaza celebrates Eid al-Adha for third year in a row amid war, hunger and destruction

Photo: Reuters

Gaza celebrates Eid al-Adha for third year in a row amid war, hunger and destruction. 

A source at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza told Al Jazeera that six people were killed and 20 wounded in an Israeli strike on the western side of Gaza City on the night of May 26. The Israeli strike targeted a densely populated area of ​​the city as residents were preparing for Eid al-Adha. 

Reports said three large explosions rocked Gaza City at 9:30 p.m. local time, hitting markets and shops where people were shopping for Eid. 

The joys of Eid have been drowned in sorrow due to Israeli attacks. Palestinians perform Eid prayers outside mosques that have been battered by Israeli shelling. 

A severe shortage of livestock in Gaza has made it difficult to sacrifice animals

Thousands of displaced families have not yet been able to return to their homes, and those who still have children at home have been deprived of Eid preparations due to movement restrictions. 

A severe shortage of livestock in Gaza has made it difficult to sacrifice animals. More than 90 percent of livestock farms have been destroyed or affected due to Israeli attacks and sieges, while the import of live animals into Gaza has been banned.

According to locals, the animal, which cost $400 to $600 before the war, has now reached $6,000. 

For the third consecutive year, no Palestinian from Gaza was able to go on the hajj 

Due to the Israeli siege, no Palestinian from Gaza was able to leave for the hajj this year. 

According to the Gaza Ministry of Religious Affairs, over 10,000 citizens have been deprived of performing the hajj over the past three years due to the closure of the Rafah crossing. 

It should be noted that decisions on entry and exit from Gaza were under Israeli control even before the war. 

In February, the Rafah crossing with Egypt, considered the only link to the outside world, 

was partially opened, but only to allow patients requiring treatment abroad to leave. All other travel needs in Gaza, such as pilgrimages, education and work, have been nearly impossible due to the Israeli land, air and sea blockade in place since 2007. 

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced and forced to live in tent settlements or destroyed homes, while at least 72,000 Palestinians have died in the ongoing war and that number is still rising. According to the Gaza Health Department, nearly 900 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire.