Riyadh/Abu Dhabi/Gaza, March 30, 2025: As Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr with prayers, gatherings, and festivities, the people of Gaza endure yet another holiday under the shadow of war, with hunger, grief, and destruction replacing the usual joy of the occasion.
While millions rejoiced at the end of Ramadan, offering prayers in Mecca, Jerusalem, Lisbon, and Novi Pazar, the residents of Gaza faced another day of devastation. Food supplies are running dangerously low, medical aid is scarce, and the conflict shows no sign of ending.
Overnight Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 people, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. In Deir al-Balah, Adel al-Shaer described the somber mood: “It’s the Eid of sadness. We lost our loved ones, our children, our lives, and our futures.”
The situation in Gaza has deteriorated further after Israel ended its ceasefire earlier this month, resuming strikes that have killed hundreds. Fuel, medicine, and food deliveries have been cut off, worsening the humanitarian crisis.
For Gaza’s residents, this Eid brings no celebration—only survival. While the world marks the holiday with family reunions and feasts, Palestinians in the besieged enclave struggle to find food, mourn their dead, and hold on to hope amid the ruins.