 |
| Palestinians hold Eid al-Adha prayers by the ruins of ar-Rahma Mosque destroyed by Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 16, 2024 |
Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank observe a subdued Eid al-Adha amid ongoing Israeli military assaults, now spanning more than eight months since the conflict began.
In Gaza, where over 37,000 Palestinians have lost their lives, residents gathered amidst the ruins of their neighborhoods for prayers on Sunday. The Israeli military continues its aggressive attacks, particularly targeting western Rafah as part of its ground invasion of the southern city, while striking areas across central Gaza.
"These attacks have exacerbated internal displacement; in northern Gaza, residents not only face the threat of airstrikes and assaults on their homes but also struggle with dehydration and hunger," reported Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
"On this first day of Eid, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian families, many grieving their losses, bear witness to these harsh realities."
 |
| Palestinians are trying to keep up their spirits on Eid al-Adha despite the ongoing devastation |
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, also reporting from Deir el-Balah, said Palestinians are trying to cling to a sense of hope.
“Palestinians are trying to do their best, despite Israel’s ongoing aggression, to bring happiness to young children, as many of them will wake up today and celebrate Eid without their parents.”
The Government Media Office in Gaza said in a statement late on Saturday that Israel is preventing the entry of sacrificial animals into the enclave from all crossings, preventing Palestinians from performing sacrificial rituals as part of Eid al-Adha.
The Israeli army on Sunday announced a “local, tactical pause” of military activity along a specific route from 8am until 7pm every day until further notice supposedly to allow more aid into Gaza from the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing.
It did, however, emphasise that its soldiers would continue to fight in the southern part of the enclave and that there would be “no cessation of hostilities”.
The pause was slammed as “delusional” by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, especially since 10 Israeli soldiers were killed on Saturday, marking the deadliest day of the war for Israel since January.
Restrictions on Al-Aqsa Mosque
In Jerusalem, Israeli forces once again cracked down on Palestinians trying to mark Eid al-Adha in Al-Aqsa Mosque, with the military imposing tight restrictions on entry and assaulting worshippers.
The Wafa news agency reported that some 40,000 managed to attend the prayers inside the mosque, but many were forced to pray outside the mosque gates after being denied entry.
It also reported that Israeli forces disrupted the movement of Palestinians in several areas across Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, setting up checkpoints and forcing vehicles to stop.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment