Gaza Metropolis — In her tent, the place she has spent a lot of Israel’s genocidal struggle on Gaza, 68-year-old I’tidal Hamdan prepares for her third consecutive Eid al-Adha away from dwelling.
Hamdan imagined this yr can be totally different. She had hoped to fulfil a lifelong dream of performing Hajj, one of many 5 compulsory pillars of Islam, together with her husband. However she has no likelihood of leaving Gaza, and her husband, 67, was killed in an Israeli strike final yr.
“Perhaps I’ve been dreaming about it for greater than 10 years,” she informed Al Jazeera. “My husband needed Hajj a lot … and he was killed earlier than he might fulfil his want.”
Israeli restrictions on exit factors in Gaza imply that for a 3rd yr, there aren’t any pilgrims departing for Hajj – the pilgrimage coinciding with Eid al-Adha.
Many displaced households are unable to return to their properties, if the buildings are nonetheless standing, and adorn them with Eid ornaments as a consequence of Israeli restrictions on motion.
The Israeli siege and struggle on Gaza imply that few cattle or sheep survived, so the customized of animal sacrifice – one other vital characteristic of the competition – might be marked by few households this yr.
Earlier than the struggle, Hamdan’s title, alongside her husband’s, appeared on the 2024 Hajj checklist, with strict allotments on the variety of pilgrims allowed from every nation as a consequence of excessive demand among the many world’s 2 billion Muslims. However the Israel’s genocidal struggle on Gaza has indefinitely postponed this once-in-a-lifetime occasion for Hamdan.
From the primary days of the struggle, Hamdan, a mom of 11, and her household had been compelled to flee their dwelling when Beit Hanoon in northern Gaza got here underneath heavy Israeli bombardments.
Along with dropping her husband, two of her sons and 6 of her grandchildren had been additionally killed in separate Israeli strikes in the course of the struggle.
Regardless of every thing, Hamdan clings to the hope that she is going to finally finish a protracted journey of grief and ache by performing Hajj, however not this yr.
Eid with out sacrifices
Emad Suhweil, 43, a displaced father of 5 from Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, says that the absence of livestock within the markets implies that Eid al-Adha has misplaced one other element.
“Yearly we used to sacrifice … we might slaughter, be comfortable, eat collectively, and distribute to the poor, these had been lovely days” he informed Al Jazeera. “I used to purchase a sheep or share in a calf.”
The sacrifice historically ends with a feast that brings the entire household collectively round one desk, creating a way of pleasure and heat. However amid the loss and the hardships, feasting is way from the minds of many individuals in Gaza this yr.
“What’s Eid al-Adha with out sacrifices or Hajj. In the present day, folks don’t even take into consideration sacrifices … they will’t even afford two kilos of greens,” he provides. “We’re all struggling to safe probably the most primary wants as a consequence of hovering costs.”
Though there are restricted variety of livestock in Gaza, shopping for an animal is way past the monetary talents of most households, says Suhwell.
“The sheep that used to value round 400–500 Jordanian dinars ($560–$700), or about 2,000 shekels, earlier than the struggle now prices round 16,000–17,000 shekels ($4,400–$4,700) for a 50-kilogramme [110-pound] animal, and it is rather weak,” he provides in astonishment.
There are reviews that an animal that may usually value $400 to $600 in earlier years would possibly now promote for as a lot as $6,000.
‘We’re besieged’
For the reason that struggle started in October 2023, Gaza’s livestock sector has suffered utter devastation. Greater than 90 p.c of livestock farms have been destroyed or broken as a consequence of Israeli assaults and restrictions on the motion of products important for the farming sector, in keeping with Gaza’s Chamber of Commerce and Business.
Israel has additionally prevented the entry of stay animals into the enclave, which could have relieved a few of the pressures attributable to home shortages.
There are different customs widespread in Eid that might be misplaced this yr.
“Now, I can not purchase new garments for my youngsters due to the worth; many individuals are like me,” says Suhweil.
“Girls, women, younger males, and youngsters are all standing in help queues. We really feel as if we’re a special sect of Muslims, unable to carry out any of the Eid rituals.”
Fawzi Hamdan, 63, a father of seven, says that three years of struggle have reworked the picture of the Eid he as soon as knew.
“I used to be saving to carry out Hajj with my spouse … however circumstances didn’t permit it,” Hamdan informed Al Jazeera.
“We’re besieged … we can not exit or in, can not carry out Hajj, can not obtain therapy, can not do something usually.”
Eid al-Adha in 2025 was spent by many in Gaza residing underneath famine-like circumstances, with the absence of even probably the most primary provisions.
“Final yr, I changed the sacrifice with a can of canned meat … this yr, I don’t know,” he jokes. “Perhaps it will likely be permissible for us to slaughter a rooster as a sacrifice … or purchase frozen meat?”
Insufferable hardship
Intisar Awda, 56, displaced mom of 10 from Beit Hanoon, remembers a time when Gaza’s properties had been stuffed with movement, visits, and preparations for kids’s pleasure.
“We used to organize Eid tables stuffed with the perfect sorts of meat and dishes … we used to really feel the sacrifice, really feel Eid, really feel pleasure,” she says.
Awda has misplaced her 35-year-old daughter, and her three grandchildren had been later scattered amongst totally different relations. Regardless of all this struggling, she says the struggle has taught her the lesson of endurance.
“We’re displaced and struggling insufferable hardship … however we nonetheless maintain onto hope regardless of all losses,” she says.
“I hope the subsequent Eid comes with out struggle … I all the time say, ‘Oh God, don’t take me earlier than I go to the Kaaba … my husband and I, collectively.’”
