GAZA, (PIC)
In Gaza, the approach of Eid al-Adha no longer means crowded markets, or the sounds of livestock that used to fill the streets and popular neighborhoods, but has rather become associated with scenes of displacement, hunger, and deprivation, in light of an ongoing Israeli aggression and a suffocating siege that have emptied Eid of many of its religious and social aspects.
For the third consecutive year, the residents of the Gaza Strip are deprived of performing the ritual of sacrifice in a normal manner, with the near-total collapse of the livestock sector, the prevention of entering livestock through the crossings, and the rise of prices to unprecedented levels, at a time when more than two million Palestinians are living in humanitarian conditions described as being among the worst in the history of the Strip.
While Eid al-Adha used to constitute a social and spiritual occasion that Gazans awaited every year, the sacrifice has transformed today into a far-fetched wish for most families, who have been struggling to secure the minimum level of food, water, and basic needs.
Citizen Muhammad Al-Sousi, who is a father of five children from Gaza City, says that Eid has lost its usual features since the outbreak of the war, but this year seems the cruelest.
He adds, “In the past, we used to wait for Eid to bring joy to the children and distribute meat to relatives and the poor, but today we have become unable to even buy one kilo of meat.”
He continues with heartbreak, “The children ask about the sacrifice and Eid clothes, but priorities have completely changed, as people are now searching for food, water, and safety.”
Soaring prices and rare livestock
The crisis is not only related to the decline in purchasing power, but also to the absence of livestock in the markets, after the occupation targeted livestock production farms, barns, and fodder warehouses during the war, alongside the continuation of closing the crossings and preventing the entry of livestock into the Strip.
The merchant and livestock breeder Akram Saeed says that what is currently available in the markets does not exceed 5% of the volume of livestock that was present before the war.
He adds, “Before the war, Gaza used to import between 10,000 to 20,000 calves, in addition to 30,000 to 40,000 heads of sheep annually just before Eid, but today not a single head of livestock enters the Strip.”
He points out that the prices of sacrifices have completely exceeded the capacity of citizens, explaining that the price of a sheep weighing around 45 kilograms reached approximately 14,000 shekels, while the price of one kilo of local meat exceeded 300 shekels, compared to only about 25 shekels before the war.
He says, “Popular demand is almost non-existent, and the purchasing rate of ordinary citizens does not exceed 1%, while some charitable societies and initiators depend on buying limited numbers to distribute meat to needy families.”
An aggravating humanitarian disaster
The sacrifice crisis coincides with the aggravation of the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, where World Food Program data indicates that around 1.6 million people, which is equivalent to 77% of the population of the Strip, face high levels of acute food insecurity, among them more than 100,000 children, and 37,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Also, the occupation authorities allow the entry of around 38% of the agreed-upon humanitarian aid within the humanitarian protocols, despite the urgent need for food, medicine, and fuel.
In the same context, the repercussions of the occupation aggression ongoing since 7 October 2023 continue, which left, according to medical sources, more than 72,772 martyrs, and 172,707 injuries, alongside widespread destruction that affected the infrastructure, homes, and economic and agricultural facilities.
Since the start of the implementation of the latest ceasefire agreement in October 2025, around 900 Palestinians were martyred, and more than 2,600 others were injured, in addition to recovering hundreds of bodies from separate areas in the Strip.
Eid without joy
Amid these conditions, the atmosphere of Eid al-Adha in Gaza appears pale and burdened with losses. There are no full tables, no visits as in the past, and most families have no ability to revive the rituals associated with Eid.
Umm Muhammad, who is a displaced woman from the northern Gaza Strip, says that children are hearing about Eid more than living it.
She adds, “We used to prepare for Eid by buying clothes and sweets and preparing the sacrifice, but now we live inside tents and search daily for food.”
She continues, “Even the joy of children has become postponed, because the war took almost everything.”
Despite the cruelty of the scene, Gazans try to hold on to what remains of the spirit of Eid, through simple visits, exchanging greetings, and supporting the poorest families, in an attempt to maintain a minimum level of social cohesion, amid a war that did not leave a wide space for joy.
