By Elsie Kamsiyochi
GAZA — As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began on Wednesday, Palestinians across Gaza Strip marked the start of fasting and prayer amid scenes of devastation, gathering in the shattered remains of mosques or praying inside makeshift shelters fashioned from tarpaulins, wood, and scraps of plastic.
For many in Gaza City, Ramadan — once defined by illuminated minarets, crowded evening prayers, and communal meals — has become a time of mourning, remembrance, and endurance.
Homeless families now sleep, cook, and pray among the ruins of buildings that once served as spiritual and social anchors for entire neighbourhoods.
At the site of the Al Hassaina mosque, the dome lies collapsed atop a mound of concrete and twisted metal. What was once a bustling courtyard filled with worshippers is now criss-crossed by washing lines, while displaced families prepare food over open flames between broken columns and shattered walls.
“I can’t bear to look at it,” said Sami Al Hissi, 61, a longtime volunteer at the mosque, standing on the rubble where rows of worshippers once stood shoulder to shoulder in prayer.
“We used to pray comfortably. We used to see our friends, our loved ones,” he said quietly. “Now there are no loved ones, no friends, and no mosque.”
Children clambered over cracked stone and fallen domes as women collected laundry strung between the remains of the structure. Al Hissi recalled how, in past years, the mosque attracted worshippers from nearby neighbourhoods such as Shejaia and Daraj during Ramadan nights.
“It would be filled with thousands,” he said. “Now, where are they supposed to pray? Everything is rubble and destruction. There’s barely space left for a hundred people.”
Israel launched its air and ground campaign in Gaza following a cross-border attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures. Since then, Israel’s assault has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities say, and has left vast areas of the enclave in ruins.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, Israeli forces have completely destroyed 835 mosques and partially damaged another 180.
The office added that churches have also been hit repeatedly and that 40 of Gaza’s 60 cemeteries have been destroyed. Israel says it targets militant infrastructure and accuses Palestinian armed groups of operating from civilian locations, including mosques — an allegation Hamas denies.
Praying in Tents
For many residents, the destruction of mosques represents not only the loss of religious buildings, but also the erosion of community life that defined Ramadan in Gaza.
“We wished we could welcome Ramadan in a completely different atmosphere,” said Khitam Jabr, a displaced woman now staying near a ruined mosque. “We don’t have enough mosques. All of them were destroyed, and there’s nowhere to pray.”
“Now we pray in tents,” she added, “and the mosques have become shelters for the displaced.”
Despite severe shortages of building materials and ongoing insecurity, Gaza’s religious authorities and residents have tried to recreate spaces for prayer. Amir Abu Al-Amrain, director of the religious affairs ministry in Gaza City, said hundreds of makeshift prayer areas have been established.
“Four hundred and thirty prayer areas have been rebuilt,” he said. “Some use plastic sheets taken from greenhouses, some are made of wood, and others are constructed from the plastic of tents.”
As the call to prayer echoes across neighbourhoods scarred by war, worshippers gather on thin carpets laid over sand and concrete, seeking moments of peace and reflection during a month meant for spiritual renewal.
For Gaza’s Palestinians, Ramadan this year unfolds not in the glow of lanterns and laughter, but amid loss — sustained by faith, memory, and the hope of survival.
Source Reuters
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