‘Eid of sadness': Palestinians in Gaza mark Muslim holiday with dwindling food and no end to war

Los Angeles Times

30-03-2025

DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had little to celebrate Sunday as they marked the normally festive Eid al-Fitr with rapidly dwindling food supplies and renewed fighting in the Israel-Hamas war. Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 19 people, mostly women and children, health officials said.
Many prayed outside demolished mosques on the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. It's supposed to be a joyous occasion when families feast and purchase new clothes for children, but most of Gaza's 2 million people are just trying to survive.
'It's the Eid of sadness,' Adel al-Shaer said after attending prayers amid rubble in the central town of Deir al Balah. 'We lost our loved ones, our children, our lives and our futures.'
Twenty members of his extended family have been killed by Israeli strikes, including four young nephews a few days ago, he said as he began to cry.
Israel ended the ceasefire with Hamas and resumed the 17-month war earlier this month with a surprise bombardment that killed hundreds, after the militant group refused to accept changes to the truce reached in January. Israel has not allowed food, fuel or humanitarian aid to enter Gaza for a month.
'There is killing, displacement, hunger and a siege,' said Saed al-Kourd, a worshipper. 'We go out to perform God's rituals in order to make the children happy, but as for the joy of Eid? There is no Eid.'
Arab mediators are trying to get the truce back on track. Hamas said Saturday it had accepted a new proposal from Egypt and Qatar, the details of which were not immediately known. Israel said it made a counter-proposal in coordination with the United States, which has also been mediating.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue military operations while negotiating. He rejected claims that Israel does not want to end the war, while laying out conditions that go far beyond the signed ceasefire agreement and have been rejected by Hamas.
'Hamas will disarm. Its leaders will be allowed out. We will look out for the general security in the Gaza Strip and allow for the realization of [President] Trump's plan,' Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting.
Trump has proposed that Gaza's population be resettled in other countries so the U.S. can redevelop Gaza for others. Palestinians say they do not want to leave their homeland. Human rights experts say the plan would likely violate international law.
Israeli strikes killed at least 16 people, including nine children and three women, according to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis.
Two girls appeared to be wearing new clothes purchased for the holiday, according to an Associated Press cameraman, including spotless sneakers.
Another strike killed three people in Deir al Balah late Saturday, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said 10 bodies were recovered in the southern city of Rafah, including six of its emergency medical technicians who had been missing for a week. Israel's military has said it fired on advancing 'suspicious vehicles' and later discovered some were ambulances.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Hamas is still holding 59 captives — 24 believed to be alive.
Israel's offensive has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence, and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in densely populated areas.
Shurafa, Jahjouh and Goldenberg write for the Associated Press. Jahjouh reported from Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, and Goldenberg from Tel Aviv. Associated Press writer Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.