Ramadan in Gaza Begins with Hunger Worsening and No End to War in Sight

SEAToday.com, Gaza-Palestinians began fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Monday with cease-fire talks at a standstill, hunger worsening across the Gaza Strip, and no end in sight to the 5-month-old humanitarian crisis.

Prayers were held outside amid the rubble of demolished buildings. Fairy lights and decorations were hung in packed tent camps, and a video from a U.N.-school-turned-shelter showed children dancing and spraying foam in celebration as a man sang into a loudspeaker.

But there was little to celebrate after five months of war that has killed over 30,000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins. Families would ordinarily break the daily sunrise-to-sundown fast with holiday feasts, but even where food is available, there is little beyond canned goods, and the prices are too high for many.

“You don’t see anyone with joy in their eyes,” said Sabah al-Hendi, who was shopping for food Sunday in the southernmost city of Rafah. “Every family is sad. Every family has a martyr.”

Ramadan is supposed to be a month full of happiness, spending time with family members worshipping God, asks for forgiveness and blessing. With more than 30,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza and hundreds of thousands going hungry, there’s little room for expressions of joy.

International mediators had pushed for a Gaza cease-fire to coincide with the start of Ramadan. However, there has been no breakthrough. Israel remains committed to continuing its invasion.