Specter of hunger hangs over Gaza
Somber mood prevails as Palestinians observe Ramadan in shadow of conflict
JERUSALEM/CAIRO/RAFAH — A somber mood prevailed in Gaza as Palestinians began fasting for Ramadan amid heightened security measures by Israeli police and the specter of conflict and hunger overshadowing the Muslim holy month as talks to secure a cease-fire stalled.
Amina Al-Ashi, a mother of six in the Gaza Strip, has never been as scared of a holiday as the fasting season began.
For millions of starving Palestinians like her, the raging Israel-Hamas conflict and bloodshed seem to render any thought of festivity utterly absurd.
“Last year, on days like these, I was busy hanging Ramadan decorations and preparing for suhoor (predawn meal) and breakfast for several days,” the 44-year-old woman recalled.
“My children and I starve most of the time due to lack of food. I do not know how to encourage them to fast when they only find the slightest amount of food,” she lamented, referring to practices of Islamic traditions during the holy month.
The nightmare started months ago when heavy Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City took away her job and all her property and shattered her peaceful life.
After the conflict broke out, she was forced to flee again and again, first to the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, then to the city of Khan Younis, and finally to the southernmost city of Rafah, where she lived in a makeshift tent near the border with Egypt.
Social order is collapsing in Gaza as millions of desperate Palestinians struggle to make a living amid heavy Israeli strikes, paralysis in public services, and overwhelming humanitarian needs.
Jordanian, US, French, Belgian and Egyptian planes parachuted aid into northern Gaza on Sunday, but the United Nations aid coordinator for the area has said boosting supply by land is the best way to get assistance to the territory's more than 2 million people.
Some of the airdropped food packages smashed open on impact, leaving residents picking through the dirt to salvage what they could, AFPTV images showed.
The conflict began on Oct 7 when Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.
Increasing alarm
Israel’s relentless campaign in Gaza has caused increasing alarm across the world as the growing risk of famine adds to a death toll that crossed 31,100, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Monday.
Hopes for a cease-fire, which would have allowed Ramadan to pass peacefully and enabled the return of at least some of the 134 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, appear to have been shattered with talks in Cairo stalled, Reuters reported.
A Hamas official told Reuters the group was open to more negotiations but, as far as he knew, no dates had been set for further meetings with mediators in Cairo.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered amid tightened security at the Waterloo Square in central Amsterdam, demanding an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, as the Netherlands opened the National Holocaust Museum on Sunday with a ceremony presided over by the Dutch king as well as Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The protest leaders emphasized they were against Herzog’s presence, not the museum and what it commemorates.
International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric discussed the humanitarian situation with Ismail Haniyeh, chair of Hamas’ political bureau, during a visit to Qatar on Sunday. She also met with Qatari officials as part of the group’s efforts to hold direct talks with all sides, the agency said.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, said in a post on X that the month of Ramadan should “bring a cease-fire for those who have suffered the most” but instead for Gazans “it comes as extreme hunger spreads, displacement continues & fear + anxiety prevail amid threats of a military operation on #Rafah”.
In Israel, fears of car ramming or stabbing attacks by Palestinians have also led to heightened security preparations.
For many Gazans, there is little alternative but to hope for peace.
“Ramadan is a blessed month despite the fact this year is not like every year, but we are steadfast and patient, and we will welcome the month of Ramadan as usual, with decorations, songs, with prayers, fasting,” said Nehad El-Jed, who was displaced with her family in Gaza.
“Next Ramadan, we wish for Gaza to come back, hopefully all the destruction and the siege in Gaza will change, and all will come back in a better condition.”