As Gaza prepares for a painful Ramadan, Palestinian children hunger for peace as well as food

As Ramadan draws near, an Islamic Relief aid worker* in Gaza describes children longing for an end to suffering, and just a little festive joy.

It has now been more than 150 days of war on Gaza and the killing, destruction, starvation, displacement, and suffering feels to me like the worst ever witnessed by humans. The destruction is everywhere. People can’t find food or water. People are being killed without reason. People are losing their loved ones, memories, future and any hope. And although it is live streamed to the whole world, there is no action to stop this madness.

We are now hearing news that all the parties are working on a ceasefire for the holy month of Ramadan, but it is only few days until the festival arrives. We haven’t seen any significant improvement to the daily hardship we endure.

Making Ramadan decorations offers distraction from misery in Gaza

In previous years around this time, everyone would be busy getting ready for the special time. Putting up decorations in their homes. Last year, I remember, the city was festive, with lights and decorations filling the street.

This year it was hard to find supplies, but I managed to help the kids buy some coloured paper and stationery to make some DIY Ramadan decorations. The house turned into a temporary workshop, with colours, paper, paste, ribbons, and everything else they needed. My sister, whose house has been damaged, offered some decorations that have so far survived intact.

The atmosphere is so sad, and all our neighbours have tasted the loss of their loved ones or their belongings. This Ramadan will be remembered as a painful one.

The kids will only hang their homemade decorations inside. They made some paper lanterns but will not light them. I found some lanterns at the market but they won’t be lit either, as there are no batteries available. Nor is there any of the special Ramadan food to be found. I spotted some dried hibiscus that usually we soak to make a delicious drink, but it needed lots of sugar and there is none available: 1 kilo of sugar used to cost less than $1 but it’s more than 20 times that price now.

Islamic Relief is trying to provide food during Ramadan

Yesterday I met with my Islamic Relief colleagues, and we reminisced about memories we share and the families we work with – especially the orphan families that we used to bring together every Ramadan in wonderful iftar meals across the Gaza Strip. My colleague Mustafa* coordinates Islamic Relief volunteers in the area I’m living now. He told me Islamic Relief is working to provide food during the holy month, but we can’t work like we did in previous years, when we were able to help thousands of families in Gaza.

Still, at Islamic Relief we will provide as much assistance as we can.

Some of my female colleagues reminded me that we used to start planning for Ramadan a few days in advance. Women usually made lists of meals they would prepare every day, and start making and freezing samosas, kebba, and pastries to enjoy each day of the month. This year, we can barely find food to get us through the current day.

Palestinians are being starved

Most of our diet is canned food. My daughter often has stomach-ache and pain due to poor food, while my son only has one meal a day so he is hungry most of the time. We are being starved. I wish I could have a burger or grilled chicken. I miss picking up a shawarma wrap after work on the weekend.

We used to spend the few days before Ramadan ordering food from restaurants, saying a temporary farewell to our favourite eateries, which usually closed during the first week of the holy month because most families made homemade food.

Now I remind my family that Ramadan is not meant to be about food. It is a month of worship. Yes, we used to go to the night prayers and read the Qur’an – and we also enjoyed rewarding ourselves with good meal when the time came to break our fast. This year, we are not able to do this: we do not have enough food.

We cannot pray in Gaza’s mosques

Most mosques are destroyed, so we can’t go to mosque to pray – our closest mosque closed when its minaret was struck. The mosque management are afraid to perform prayers and be targeted during prayer times. Now, only one person goes to the mosque at prayer time, makes the call to prayer, and leaves as quickly as possible. In besieged Gaza City, my friend tells me there is no longer a call to prayer at the mosques – instead, they broadcast the adhan from their homes.

We are approaching the holy month with tremendous pain and suffering, with huge loss and starvation, in a humanitarian crisis without precedent. We have strong faith that this war will end sooner or later but we are now living the hardest times of our lives.

Everyone I meet says we can’t stand more suffering. Our hearts are cut open, seeing our people die as they go out seeking food. Our mental health is at its very lowest, and we are on the verge of collapse. Yet the whole world, with all its United Nations organisations, won’t put an end to this. Instead, the world watches my people be slaughtered – maybe it’s what the world wants, maybe they just accept our misery because we are from an underprivileged place. It breaks my heart. It brings shame on the world.

Please help Islamic Relief support people in desperate need in Gaza: Donate to our Palestine Emergency Appeal now.

*This blog is anonymised to protect the safety and security of our colleague and others mentioned. Read the other blogs in this series here.

Editor’s note: This blog was submitted amid a fast-changing and deepening crisis. The information was correct as of Thursday 7 March 2024.