Gaza City – Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr by performing Eid prayers in outdoor places, gathering families with traditional festive meals and wearing new clothes. light color.
This year, in the besieged Gaza Strip, people celebrated Eid al-Fitr in a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere after heaving a sigh of relief that a new Israeli offensive did not break out following the attacks. Israel’s continuous attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan.
Weeks of rising tensions and sporadic missile exchanges between Gaza and Israel have raised fears of a new Israeli attack similar to the one last May, when, after weeks of protests, love and air strikes on Al-Aqsa during Ramadan, the violence escalated into an attack 11 days of attack on the besieged strip.
That fighting over the Eid holiday resulted in the deaths of at least 260 Palestinians, as well as 13 Israelis, and resulted in considerable devastation in an already impoverished territory.
Amani al-Kahlout, 29, a young woman who is passionate about cooking and home decorating, tells Al Jazeera how thoroughly she prepares at home each year for all the details of Eid al. -Fitr and the rest of the holidays.
“I really like the atmosphere of Eid in Gaza. I love preparing meals and special treats for guests visiting Eid,” al-Kahlout said.
“Eid is an opportunity to cheer up and create joy and happiness away from the pressures around us in Gaza,” she said.
As an Instagram celebrity with over 200,000 followers, she told Al Jazeera how she loves to show that the Gaza Strip is more than just bombs, devastation and blood.
“In Gaza, there are people who have ambitions, dreams and like to enjoy their lives to the fullest, just like any other people in neighboring countries,” she said.
“I often get messages on my account from followers outside of Gaza asking me: Is it really? [what I publish] in the Gaza Strip? It is as if the only image of Gaza is the image of destruction and bombing.”
Al-Kahlout acknowledges that economic and political conditions in Gaza have a stifling effect on all aspects of life: People lose their ability to earn a daily living and the psychological pressure of having to live in these conditions. The situation could escalate at any time.
“Despite the ongoing siege on us… and the endless crisis we have to endure, people are still creating their own happiness,” she said.
“Eid’s fun is imperative and I want to create a fun atmosphere for my family.”
Al Jazeera accompanied al-Kahlout as she spent the Eid al-Fitr holiday with her husband and two daughters at their home in the northern Gaza Strip.
