Going Back Home is Displaced Palestinians’ Sole Wish for Eid Al Fitr
(Arab World Press) - Only a few days remain until Eid Al Fitr, but it will not be a happy one for the people of Gaza. Unlike in the past, all have been displaced, and many have lost neighbors, friends or loved ones in the war, waged by Israel for six months now.
Palestinians said they had lost most of their dreams for the future, and their sole hope was to return to the homes they were forced to leave.
“My only wish in this hardship we are going through is to return to my home and my area, and to meet with my folks and my friends. I pray to God for this war to come to an end,” said Hazm Al-Kitnan, a displaced Palestinian from al-Shoja’yia.
Another displaced Palestinian, Mostafa Fawzy, said that if Eid Al Fitr came while they were still in the camps, it would be the worst period of their lives.
“Most probably, we will spend the Eid in the shelter centers, which are supposed to be protected by virtue of international law. Unfortunately, those centers are targets for the Israeli occupation forces,” he noted.
Mohamed Eid, a displaced Palestinian child from Al-Shati’e camp, recollected Eid Al Fitr before the war, a period that was always associated with jubilation: getting dressed in new, beautiful clothes, exchanging family visits, buying toys and going to the parks.
“However, we are not able to get the Eid garments, let alone eat, like any other ordinary human being. Things are so difficult here,” he lamented.
More than 1.5 million Palestinians have been forced to relocate from northern and central Gaza to the city of Rafah in search of safe haven from the war, which started on 7 October, 2023.
Israel has hinted at a ground military offensive in Rafah, sparking global concerns about the fate of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians.