“This Ramadan is nothing like the ones before,” said one resident as the holy fasting month for Muslims began. “The war has drained it of meaning.”
Bags of fragrant spices, crates of dates, frozen chicken and fresh produce. Food and other goods that were scarce during the war have returned to the shops and street markets of Gaza in time for the holy fasting month of Ramadan. And the Israeli bombs have fallen silent.
But the shadow of the war hangs heavy over what was once one of the most joyous seasons in the territory, and life in Gaza has not even begun to return to normal. Street vendors have refrained from playing the special songs they normally would during Ramadan and even if there is more food in the shops, many struggle to afford it.
The first phase of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has lasted a month and a half, but it was set to elapse on Saturday, which coincides with the first day of Ramadan fasting from dawn to dusk. It could be extended but so far, there has been little progress toward doing so.
Maisa Arafa, 29, who said that her brother had been killed during the war, has been living in a tent with other relatives as they clear away rubble from their devastated home in northern Gaza in hopes of moving into one room that is still intact.
“More than anything, I wish my brother could come back. That would be the only thing to make Ramadan feel like it used to,” Ms. Arafa said as she shopped in downtown Gaza City. “This is not the Ramadan we knew, or even the life we knew.”
Before the war, Ramadan was one of the most joyful festivals in Gaza. Crowds flocked to the mosques, and streets were festooned with colorful lanterns typical of the Ramadan period.