Gazans set for bleak Eid Al Adha as war robs them of basic rituals

Communal feasts largely absent as prices have soared and war shows no sign of end

A boy pets a sheep sitting in a cattle pen in Deir Al Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Livestock prices have soared and people are unable to buy animals to sacrifice ahead of Eid Al Adha. AFP

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Palestinians in Gaza are prepared for a melancholy Eid Al Adha this year in the enclave, with hundreds of thousands displaced and many in mourning. Rituals such as visiting family, buying new clothes and making Eid treats are out of reach for most. One tradition, the animal sacrifice that is customary for the Muslim festival, is made impossible with prices soaring.

Eid Al Adha marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage and is usually celebrated with a feast and other festivities.

Muslims around the world are expected to sacrifice an animal during Eid Al Adha to feed people in need, in an act to commemorate the story of the Prophet Ibrahim being tested by God, who asked him to sacrifice his son Ismail, before sparing him. It is a ritual Muslims hold dear to their hearts as it symbolises sacrifice but is also a time to give food to the needy. Often meat is distributed to those in need and would not be able to afford it themselves.

In Gaza this year, most people are unable to afford meat and will be marking the festival in a sombre mood, with many having lost family members and their homes in more than eight months of war.

Bahjat Mansour, a 46-year-old from Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, said his family celebrates Eid each year by sacrificing an animal, but will be unable to do so this year because of high prices and the war.

“For me and my family, Eid Al Adha is all about the sacrifice, and without it, the holiday rituals that we have loved and cherished over the years are absent,” Mr Bahjat told The National.

“Previously, we would buy a sacrifice, whether it was a sheep or a share in a cow, for around $500. This amount was reasonable. However, today we hear of exorbitant prices, with the cost jumping from $500 to $2,000 or even $3,000.” he said.

Aside from the high prices, most Gazans are coping with the loss of friends and family in the war.

More than 37,200 Palestinians have been killed since the outbreak of the war in October, and more than double that have been injured.

Mr Mansour himself said more than 20 of his immediate and extended family have been killed during the war.

“This Eid is a sad one for me and my family, as it is for all families in Gaza. There is no sacrifice, no Eid atmosphere, and no animals in the streets, slaughterhouses, or farms,” he said.

Animals dying

A livestock trader from northern Gaza said that prices of animals have been driven up as many have died since October, either directly from Israeli shelling, or from hunger due to a lack of feed.

“Prices this year are through the roof. In previous years, prices would go up by one or two shekels, and people would complain, leading to weaker demand. But this year, prices have increased nearly tenfold, and there is virtually no buying activity, except from some organisations and charitable donors from abroad,” said Mohammad Warsh Agha, from Beit Lahia.

Mr Agha said he used to sell more than 200 sheep every Eid Al Adha, but this year he has seven left. The rest either died from Israeli bombing at the beginning of the war or from hunger and lack of feed in the months since.

“When the war started, I had about 90 sheep. I managed to sell 20 during the war, meaning I lost around 70 sheep that either died or were left malnourished. The seven that remain weigh less than half their usual weight because they haven't been fed properly,” Mr Agha said.

Mr Agha told The National that he sold the seven sheep to a charity at high market price. They will be slaughtered on the first day of Eid Al Adha and distributed to those in need in Gaza.

Livestock markets empty

In normal years, Gazans would visit livestock markets in the run up to Eid Al Adha.

The trip was seen as a day out and provided entertainment and excitement, especially for children.

This year, most livestock markets are empty due to the war and lack of animals, and less Gazans have visited.

Mr Mansour said he was not taking his children to the markets this year, unlike in previous years.

Another Palestinian, Ismail Helles, said it was unimaginable to have Eid without the markets east of Gaza city.

“I can't imagine how this Eid will pass without visiting the livestock market on the eastern side. Two weeks before Eid, I used to go to the market on Fridays, the market would be bustling with people choosing their sacrificial animals,” Mr Helles told The National.

Mr Helles lives in Shujaiya neighbourhood in eastern Gaza. His wife and daughter were killed and his house destroyed.

“Only my two sons survived, pulled from the rubble. This year, there is no joy, Whenever I think of Eid, I remember the happiness of my daughter, Lynn, last year with the sheep we brought home. She played with it all night until it was time for the sacrifice the next morning,” said Mr Helles.

Shujaiya again came under attack on Saturday, as Israeli air strikes hit several houses east of Gaza city, killing 15 civilians.

Despite international pressure for a ceasefire, the fighting showed no sign of letting up on the eve of Eid.

Israel's closure of the Rafah border crossing also means that very few Palestinians were able to leave the enclave for the Hajj pilgrimage, which takes place in the run up to Eid Al Adha.

However, some of those who had already been evacuated before the final border closure were able to travel to Saudi Arabia after being invited by King Salman.

But aside from those lucky few, most Gazans will be forced to mark the festival in the war-torn enclave, with little cause to celebrate.

Like most other people in Gaza, Mr Helles will not be making a sacrifice this year.

“No one is in the mood to celebrate after all the losses and devastation caused by this war, which has spared neither stone nor person nor tree. It also killed the livestock and destroyed the farms and the decades-old livestock market,” he said.