AP PHOTOS: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip struggle to celebrate Eid al-Adha
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are struggling to celebrate one of the most important Islamic holidays.
To mark Eid al-Adha — Arabic for the Festival of Sacrifice — Muslims traditionally slaughter a sheep or cow and give away part of the meat to the poor as an act of charity. Then they have a big family meal with sweets.
But no fresh meat has entered the Gaza Strip for three months, and nearly all the territory's homegrown sheep, cattle and goats are dead after 20 months of Israeli bombardment and ground offensives.
___
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Parents in Gaza Are Running Out of Ways to Feed Their Children: ‘All We Want Is a Loaf of Bread'
It had made sense to Nour Barda and Heba al-Arqan in November 2023 to try for another baby when a temporary truce had just taken hold in Gaza. Mr. Barda's father, who had only sons, kept asking when he might have a granddaughter at last. Back then, the war seemed like it might end. Back then, there was food, even if it was not enough. By the time Ms. al-Arqan found out she was pregnant last year, things in Gaza were much worse. When she gave birth to Shadia this April, there was so little to eat that Ms. al-Arqan, 25, had almost no milk to give. Now she holds Shadia at her breast just to calm her down, Mr. Barda said, knowing that nothing is likely to come. It had been like this with Jihad, their son, who was born in 2023, two weeks after the war began. Their increasingly desperate efforts to find food when Jihad was six months old were described in a New York Times article about malnourished children in Gaza in April 2024. But now she and her husband had two babies to keep alive at a time when Israel had blocked almost all aid from entering Gaza for nearly three months — 80 days of total siege beginning in March. Israel began to ease the blockade in May, but only a thin trickle of supplies has arrived. The traditional United Nations-run system for delivering aid has faltered as looters and fighting have cut off safe routes for aid trucks, and a new, Israeli-backed aid distribution system has descended into controversy, chaos and violence. Though the group behind it says it has delivered nearly nine million meals so far, the United Nations says the assistance falls far short of what is needed for a population of two million people. Security at the new distribution sites is being provided by private American contractors, but the Israeli military is stationing forces nearby, outside the perimeter. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
The decades-old intrigue over an Indian guest house in Mecca
As the annual Hajj pilgrimage draws to a close, a long-settled corner of Mecca is stirring up a storm thousands of miles away in India - not for its spiritual significance, but for a 50-year-old inheritance dispute. At the heart of the controversy is Keyi Rubath, a 19th-Century guest house built in the 1870s by Mayankutty Keyi, a wealthy Indian merchant from Malabar (modern-day Kerala), whose trading empire stretched from Mumbai to Paris. Located near Islam's holiest site, Masjid al-Haram, the building was demolished in 1971 to make way for Mecca's expansion. Saudi authorities deposited 1.4 million riyals (about $373,000 today) in the kingdom's treasury as compensation, but said no rightful heir could be identified at the time. Decades later, that sum - still held in Saudi Arabia's treasury - has sparked a bitter tussle between two sprawling branches of the Keyi family, each trying to prove its lineage and claim what they see as their rightful inheritance. Neither side has succeeded so far. For decades, successive Indian governments - both at the Centre and in Kerala - have tried and failed to resolve the deadlock. It remains unclear if Saudi authorities are even willing to release the compensation, let alone adjust it for inflation as some family members now demand - with some claiming it could be worth over $1bn today. Followers of the case note the property was a waqf - an Islamic charitable endowment - meaning descendants can manage but not own it. The Saudi department that handles Awqaf (endowed properties) did not respond to the BBC's request for comment, and the government has made no public statement on the matter. That hasn't stopped speculation - about both the money and who it rightfully belongs to. Little is known about the guest house itself, but descendants claim it stood just steps from the Masjid al-Haram, with 22 rooms and several halls spread over 1.5 acres. According to family lore, Keyi shipped wood from Malabar to build it and appointed a Malabari manager to run it - an ambitious gesture, though not unusual for the time. Saudi Arabia was a relatively poor country back then - the discovery of its massive oil fields still a few decades away. The Hajj pilgrimage and the city's importance in Islam meant that Indian Muslims often donated money or built infrastructure for Indian pilgrims there. In his 2014 book, Mecca: The Sacred City, historian Ziauddin Sardar notes that during the second half of the 18th Century, the city had acquired a distinctively Indian character with its economy and financial well-being dependent on Indian Muslims. "Almost 20% of the city's inhabitants, the largest single majority, were now of Indian origins – people from Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir and Deccan, all collectively known locally as the Hindis," Sardar wrote. As Saudi Arabia's oil wealth surged in the 20th century, sweeping development projects reshaped Mecca. Keyi Rubath was demolished three times, the final time in the early 1970s. That's when the confusion around compensation appears to have started. According to BM Jamal, former secretary of India's Central Waqf Council, the Indian consulate in Jeddah wrote to the government back then, seeking details of Mayankutty Keyi's legal heir. "In my understanding, authorities were looking for the descendants to appoint a manager for the property, not to distribute the compensation money," Mr Jamal said. Nonetheless, two factions stepped forward: the Keyis - Mayankutty's paternal family - and the Arakkals, a royal family from Kerala into which he had married. Both families traditionally followed a matrilineal inheritance system - a custom not recognized under Saudi law, adding further complexity. The Keyis claim that Mayankutty died childless, making his sister's children his rightful heirs under matrilineal tradition. But the Arakkals claim he had a son and a daughter, and therefore, under Indian law, his children would be the legal inheritors. As the dispute dragged on, the story took on a life of its own. In 2011, after rumours swirled that the compensation could be worth millions, more than 2,500 people flooded a district office in Kannur, claiming to be Keyi's descendants. "There were people who claimed that their forefathers had taught Mayankutty in his childhood. Others claimed that their forefathers had provided timber for the guest house," a senior Keyi family member, who wanted to stay anonymous, told the BBC. Scams followed. State officials say in 2017 fraudsters posing as Keyi descendants duped locals into handing over money, promising a share of the compensation. Today, the case remains unresolved. Some descendants propose the best way to end the dispute would be to ask the Saudi government to use the compensation money to build another guest house for Hajj pilgrims, as Myankutti Keyi had intended. But others reject this, arguing that the guest house was privately owned, and so any compensation rightfully belongs to the family. Some argue that even if the family proves lineage to Mayankutty Keyi, without ownership documents, they're unlikely to gain anything. For Muhammed Shihad, a Kannur resident who has co-authored a book on the history of the Keyi and Arakkal families, though, the dispute is not just about the money - but about honouring the family's roots. "If they don't get the compensation, it would be worth openly recognising the family's and the region's connection to this noble act."
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud on 'sacred journey' in Mecca for pilgrimage
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud is on a spiritual journey in Saudi Arabia as he performs hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage that's taking place this year from June 4-9. Hammoud, the first Muslim to become mayor of Dearborn, is one of more than 1.6 million pilgrims from around the world currently taking part in a series of rites and rituals in Mecca, the holiest city in Islam and the birthplace of its prophet. Going on hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, required of all Muslims at least once in their lifetime provided they are financially and physically capable. "I will be embarking on the sacred journey of Hajj — the pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims around the world aspire to make at least once in their lifetime," Hammoud, 35, said in an Instagram post on May 27, written in both English and Arabic. "This is a deeply personal trip, one rooted in faith, reflection, and renewal." Hammoud spoke about how the world these days can seem burdensome. "It comes at a time when the world feels heavy and our hearts carry more than words can express," Hammoud said. "Still I go with the intention of fulfilling a spiritual obligation, reconnecting with Allah sbwt (acronym for an Arabic phrase meaning: 'May He be glorified and exalted'), and praying for clarity and peace — for myself, for my family and for our communities near and far." It's unclear how many days Hammoud will be in Saudi Arabia for the trip. A city official told the Free Press Hammoud is currently on paid time off. He did not attend the mayor's briefing on Thursday, June 5, a city councilman said. Hajj, which is held ten days earlier every year, coincides with Eid al-Adha, the Islamic holiday that was held Friday, June 6. Dearborn's City Hall, some city buildings and public libraries were closed Friday in observance of Eid al-Adha, and employees had the day off, the third year in a row the city has observed Eid holidays. Before leaving on hajj, Hammoud asked the public for forgiveness, which is recommended by some Islamic scholars and leaders for people performing the pilgrimage. More: Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud kicks off reelection campaign: The city is 'thriving' "As is custom before this journey, I humbly ask for your forgiveness if I have wronged you in word, action or deed — knowingly or unknowingly — I ask that you forgive me," Hammoud said. "May Allah, sbwt, accept a pilgrimage of all who are making the journey. Please keep us in your prayers, as I will carry yours with me." Pilgrims on hajj have to obtain a permit and visa through a website in Saudi Arabia, the U.S. State Department said in its guide for hajj pilgrims. In metro Detroit, mosques or groups often offer packages people can sign up for that includes travel and lodging costs, allowing them to journey together. Some offer educational classes on what to expect and the various rites involved. Before the hajj, worshippers are expected to enter into a state of spiritual piety and during the events, men wear simple, white garments. Hammoud sometimes refers to his faith during public speeches. When he was elected in November 2021, he said during his victory speech: "It is here in Dearborn where we believe that you need not change your name nor your faith, that in this town, we elect you based on the direction in which you lead, no matter the direction in which you pray." Hammoud attends services at the Islamic Center of America, a Dearborn mosque that is one of Michigan's oldest and largest Muslim centers, and where one of his uncles, Sheikh Ahmad Hammoud, is the imam. Hammoud, a Democrat, is running for reelection this year, seeking a second term, facing a challenge from Nagi Almudhegi, a Republican, who has been outspoken against LGBTQ+ books in schools. Speaking at another Dearborn mosque in February, Hammoud touched upon religion at times in addressing some criticism he's faced from Republicans for being supportive of the LGBTQ+ community and LGBTQ+ books in schools. In a September 2022 statement, the mayor noted that conservatives who once attacked Muslims like him were now attacking LGBTQ+ people. "The same dangerous ideology that once considered people like me 'a problem' is now being revived under the guise of preserving 'liberty,'" Hammoud said in 2022. "Our libraries serve as a gateway to knowledge, to imagination, and to possibility. When it comes to our city's libraries, for the sake of our children, no book will be removed off the shelves." More: Expectant mothers in Dearborn to get $4,500, mayor announces in State of the City But speaking at a mosque in Dearborn in February, Hammoud said of the 2022 statement: "Unfortunately, people took a statement out of context." He said he doesn't endorse any lifestyle that doesn't align with his family's lifestyle. Hammoud added however that "what people are doing in the privacy of their own home" is none of his business as mayor. "Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, tells you what you do in your own household is between you and Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala," Hammoud said, using the Arabic words for "God" and "May He be glorified and exalted." "My point is: I care for the whole city, to make sure that city services are delivered," Hammoud added. "When you have issues of property taxes, nobody's lifestyle matters when it comes to talking about property taxes. When you want to make investments in the parks, what matters is not anybody's lifestyle." Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@ X @nwarikoo of Facebook @nwarikoo This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud on hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia
