In most parts of the world, Eid Al Adha begins with prayer, visits to relatives, new clothes for children and crowded markets filled with celebration.
In Gaza, many families say this year’s Eid began with air strikes.
Across the territory, Palestinians who were trying to preserve fragments of holiday tradition described hearing explosions, ambulances and the cries of people searching through rubble.
“Instead of celebrating Eid, we lived through death, bombardment and every kind of pain,” Murad Al Amriti, 37, from Gaza city, told The National. “From the Day of Arafat onwards, the bombing never stopped.”
One strike hit Gaza city’s Al Rimal neighbourhood, typically one of the busiest commercial areas before Eid. “That place is where people go to shop and experience the atmosphere of Eid,” Mr Al Amriti said. “But the bombing turned the joy of Eid into bloodshed and injuries.”
Israeli air strikes continue across the enclave despite a ceasefire having been signed more than six months ago. Gaza health authorities say hundreds of people have been killed since truce, as attacks occur almost daily.
The violence intensified during Eid Al Adha, particularly in Gaza city, Khan Younis and central areas of the enclave.
On the eve of Eid, Israeli troops killed senior Hamas commander Mohammed Awda and members of his family in Gaza city. Further strikes killed and injured civilians, including women and children.
Israeli officials said the bombings were aimed at Hamas figures involved in the attacks on October 7, 2023, and were necessary security measures. But many Palestinians say the timing of the strikes turned one of Islam’s holiest holidays into another period of fear.
Ihab Madi, 29, said that his had Eid begun like countless family gatherings before the war. He spent the evening visiting relatives before returning home to his family after dinner.
“We were talking and enjoying being together because of Eid,” he told The National.
About an hour later, an air strike hit nearby. “Our house was damaged, four members of my family were injured, and around 10 of our neighbours were killed,” Mr Madi said.
Among those wounded were his brother Mazen, his sister Nermin, his 11-year-old niece Sama and his seven-year-old nephew Mahmoud.
“We are ordinary civilians,” Mr Madi said. “We simply wanted to celebrate Eid and feel some happiness.”
Instead, he added, the attack shattered what little sense of normality remained. “There is a deep ache in our hearts. Children are watching other children being killed during Eid while the bombing never stops.”
Across Gaza, Eid traditions continued in muted and fragmented ways.
Some families still visited relatives despite the risks, trying to preserve customs that have survived successive periods of war and displacement. But many say fear accompanied every movement.
“My brothers and I visited relatives and loved ones during Eid,” Mr Al Amriti said. “But we were afraid the entire time because death is literally chasing us.”
He described how any kind of unfamiliar sound now causes panic among traumatised residents. “Every time someone or a vehicle passed by, people became afraid,” he said.
Palestinian political analyst Hani Al Aqqad said air strikes during religious holidays have a psychological dimension, and are intended to deepen feelings of helplessness among civilians already living under extreme conditions.
“The people targeted could have been assassinated at another time,” he said. “The timing of Eid was chosen specifically to spoil people’s joy.”
Many families spent the holiday among ruins or in displacement camps. Some gathered with relatives briefly before returning home out of fear of strikes. In many neighbourhoods, celebrations were interrupted by funerals.
“The occupation turned Eid into grief,” Mr Madi said. “It killed every sense of happiness.”
He added that the hardest part was not the destruction itself, but the feeling that even sacred occasions offered no protection.
“According to every law in the world, people are supposed to respect holidays and special occasions,” Mr Madi said. “But here, even Eid does not stop the bombing.”
