Across the world, Eid al Adha is marked by joy, family gatherings, and a sense of peace. Streets fill with people, the sound of Eid prayers and takbeerat echoes through communities, children wear new clothes, and families prepare sacrificial meals while welcoming relatives and loved ones.
In Gaza, however, Eid arrives in a completely different form. One shaped by war, loss, hunger, displacement, and the exhaustion of a people enduring relentless suffering.
For the third consecutive year, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are welcoming Eid al Adha without real celebration, as the continuing consequences of the Israeli war have transformed daily life into a struggle for survival. There are no festive gatherings, no full dinner tables, no ordinary family visits, and often no access to even the most basic necessities such as food, clean water, or electricity, amid a deepening humanitarian catastrophe affecting every part of the territory.
Children who once waited excitedly for Eid gifts, toys, and new clothes are now waiting for a meal or a drink of water. Meanwhile, thousands of displaced families continue to live in overcrowded tents or among the ruins of destroyed homes, under conditions so harsh that they strip Eid of its meaning and spirit.
For the third year in a row, people in Gaza are also being denied the opportunity to travel for Hajj due to the continued closure of crossings and Israeli restrictions. For many Palestinians, this has deepened feelings of isolation and siege, even during one of the holiest moments in the Islamic calendar.
The tradition of Eid sacrifices, one of the central rituals of Eid al Adha, has also largely disappeared from Gaza. The war has caused widespread destruction to the livestock sector through the targeting of farms, animal shelters, veterinary facilities, and feed warehouses, alongside soaring prices and the near collapse of purchasing power among residents.
This is how Gaza receives Eid this year. An Eid without sacrifice, without Hajj, and without the familiar signs of joy, while Palestinians continue to face hunger, fear, displacement, and grief under a war that has left them holding onto one remaining hope: that one day, Eid might return as it once was.
