• Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had little to celebrate on Sunday as they began marking a normally festive Muslim holiday with rapidly dwindling food supplies and no end in sight to the Israel-Hamas war
• Many held prayers outside demolished mosques on the Eid Al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan

DEIR AL-BALAH: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had little to celebrate on Sunday as they began marking a normally festive Muslim holiday with rapidly dwindling food supplies and no end in sight to the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the West Bank.

Many held prayers outside demolished mosques on the Eid Al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. It’s supposed to be a joyous occasion, when families gather for feasts and purchase new clothes for children — but most of Gaza’s 2 million Palestinians are just trying to survive.

“It’s the Eid of Sadness,” Adel Al-Shaer said after attending outdoor prayers in the central town of Deir Al-Balah. “We lost our loved ones, our children, our lives, and our futures. We lost our students, our schools, and our institutions. We lost everything.”

Twenty members of his extended family have been killed in Israeli strikes, including four young nephews just a few days ago, he said as he broke into tears.

Israel violated the ceasefire with Hamas and resumed the war earlier this month. Israeli strikes have killed hundreds of Palestinians, and Israel has allowed no food, fuel or humanitarian aid to enter for four weeks.

“There is killing, displacement, hunger, and a siege,” said Saed Al-Kourd, another worshipper. “We go out to perform God’s rituals in order to make the children happy, but as for the joy of Eid? There is no Eid.”

Israel’s offensive has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Israel’s bombardment and ground operations have destroyed vast areas of Gaza and at their height displaced around 90 percent of the population.
AP