Eid al-Adha in Gaza: Under Israeli Blockade, There Is No Meat, No Joy, Just Survival

With the Gaza Strip reduced to rubble due to the genocide and the Israeli blockade, Palestinian residents struggled to celebrate one of the most important Islamic holidays, Eid al-Adha.

In commemoration of Eid al-Adha (which means the feast of sacrifice in Arabic), Muslims traditionally slaughter a sheep or cow and distribute some of the meat to the poor as a charitable act.

Then, they gather as a family to eat and taste sweets together. Children receive new clothes as a gift.

However, no fresh meat has been supplied to Gaza for three months. Israel has blocked the supply of food and other humanitarian aid to force Hamas to release the hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.

Karima Necelli, a Palestinian refugee from Rafah, said that Gazans now celebrate Eid al-Adha and another Islamic holiday, Eid al-Fitr, twice during the war.

“During these four holidays, we Palestinians did not see any joy, no sacrifices, no cookies, no festive clothes or anything else,” she said.

Almost all the local sheep, cows, and goats in the area have died after 20 months of Israeli airstrikes and ground attacks. The remaining small cattle are sold in cattle pens set up in the large Mawasi tent camp on the southern Mediterranean coast of Gaza.

However, few people can afford to buy them. Some people come just to look at sheep and goats, as well as cows and camels. Some children laugh at animals and recite prayers related to the holiday.

“I can’t even buy bread. No meat, no vegetables,” Abdel Rahman Madi said. “The prices are astronomical.”

Eid al-Adha is dedicated to testing the faith of the Prophet Ibrahim and his willingness to sacrifice his son, the Prophet Ismail, as a sign of submission to God. This is usually a joyous day for children and a time when businesses benefit from increased spending on food and gifts.

However, prices for basic goods have risen sharply against the backdrop of the Israeli blockade, which was only slightly eased two weeks ago. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article. In recent weeks, meat and most of the fresh fruits and vegetables have disappeared from local markets.

At a street market in nearby Khan Yunis, some stalls sell toy sheep, holiday trinkets, and old clothes. However, most visitors leave without purchasing after seeing the high prices.

“There used to be a festive atmosphere here, the children were happy … Now, because of the blockade, there is no flour, no clothes, no joys of life in Gaza,” says Hala Abu Nkeira, a saleswoman at the market.

The Israeli blockade has virtually deprived Gaza of the ability to produce its food.

According to the UN, 96% of livestock and 99% of poultry died. According to a recent FAO study, more than 95% of Gaza’s pre-war agricultural land is currently either unusable, severely damaged, or located within Israeli war zones.

Israel has banned the import of food and necessities into Gaza for more than two months, prompting widespread international condemnation.

Two weeks ago, Israel slightly eased the blockade to allow entry to a limited number of trucks with humanitarian aid coordinated by the United Nations. These trucks delivered some food, mostly flour.

However, the UN has difficulty distributing most of the aid due to the massive looting and restrictions imposed by the Israeli military.

Almost the entire population of more than 2 million Palestinians has been forced to flee their homes, with many forced to relocate several times to escape the ongoing Israeli attacks.