JABALIYA, Gaza Strip (AP) 鈥� Before the war, the was a festive time of increased worship, social gatherings and cheer for Fatima Al-Absi. Together with her husband, the resident of Jabaliya in Gaza said she used to do Ramadan shopping, visit relatives and head to the mosque for prayers.
But the has shredded many of the familiar and cherished threads of Ramadan as Al-Absi once knew it: her husband and a son-in-law have been killed, her home was damaged and burnt and the mosque she attended during Ramadan destroyed, she said.
鈥淓verything has changed,鈥� she said on Saturday as her family observed the first day of Ramadan. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no husband, no home, no proper food and no proper life.鈥�
For Al-Absi and other Gaza residents, Ramadan started this year under a that paused more than 15 months of a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and the Gaza Strip. Compared to last Ramadan, many found relief in the truce 鈥� but there's also worry and fear about what鈥檚 next and grief over the personal and collective losses, the raw wounds and the numerous scars left behind.
鈥淚鈥檝e lost a lot,鈥� said the 57-year-old grandmother, who鈥檚 been reduced to eking out an existence amid the wreckage. 鈥淟ife is difficult. May God grant us patience and strength," she added.
Israel on Sunday to pressure Hamas to accept a new proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire. Hamas accused Israel of trying to derail the existing ceasefire agreement, but both sides stopped short of declaring the truce over.
鈥淲e鈥檙e scared because there's no stability," Al-Absi said and added that she鈥檚 praying for the war to end and that she can鈥檛 bear any more losses. She spoke before Israel announced the new proposal and the aid cutoff on Sunday.
Though Ramadan is still far from normal, some in the Gaza Strip said that, in some ways, it feels better than last year鈥檚.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 predict what will happen next,鈥� Amal Abu Sariyah, in Gaza City, said before the month鈥檚 start. 鈥淵es, the country is destroyed and the situation is very bad, but the feeling that the shelling and the killing ... have stopped, makes you (feel) that this year is better than the last one.鈥�
Overshadowed by war and displacement, last Ramadan was 鈥渧ery bad鈥� for the Palestinian people, she said. The began with cease-fire talks then at a standstill, hunger worsening across the strip and no end in sight to the war.
The war was sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel in which Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Israel鈥檚 military offensive has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Vast areas of Gaza have been destroyed.
Under the ceasefire, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flooded back into northern Gaza. After initial relief and joy at returning to their homes 鈥� even if damaged or destroyed 鈥� they鈥檝e been grappling with living
As Palestinians in the Gaza Strip prepared for Ramadan, shopping for essential household goods and food, some lamented harsh living conditions and economic hardships, but also said they rely on their faith in God to provide for them.
鈥淚 used to help people. ... Today, I can鈥檛 help myself,鈥� said Nasser Shoueikh. 鈥淢y situation, thank God, used to be better and I wasn鈥檛 in need for anything. ... We ask God to stand by us."
For observant Muslims the world over, Ramadan is a time for fasting daily from dawn to sunset, increased worship, religious reflection, charity and good deeds. It often brings families and friends together in festive gatherings around meals to break their fast.
Elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, Fatima Barbakh, from the southern city of Khan Younis, said her Ramadan shopping was limited to the essentials.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 buy lanterns or decorations like we do every Ramadan,鈥� she said.
Back in Jabaliya, Al-Absi bitterly recalled how she used to break her fast with her husband, how much she misses him and how she remembers him when she prays.
鈥淲e don't want war,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want peace and safety.鈥�
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Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Fam from Cairo. Associated Press journalist Abdel Kareem Hana contributed from Gaza City.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Mohammad Jahjouh, Wafaa Shurafa And Mariam Fam, The Associated Press
