Palestinians in Gaza prepare for Ramadan amid destruction and grief

Описание: (17 Feb 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gaza City, Gaza Strip - 17 February 2026
1. Various of people shopping for Ramadan at stalls, destroyed buildings and rubble lining the street
2. Close of bread on stall
3. Various of destroyed building
4. Various of shoppers in street
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Waleed Zaqzouq, Gaza City resident:
"There is no cash among the people; there is no work. It’s true that it is Ramadan, but Ramadan requires money and comes with its own expenses. It needs cash. Also, merchants change their minds (on prices) from time to time. We want the merchants to consider people’s situation. It’s difficult - not everyone has money."
6. Various of vendors, shoppers and rubble from destroyed building
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Waleed Zaqzouq, Gaza City resident:
"Before the war, Ramadan was 100%; everything was provided and people lived a dignified life. But today, during the war, the situation has completely changed. The situation has completely changed in the war, meaning people have been devastated and worn down."
8. Wide of market
9. Various of dry fruits and nuts displayed for sale
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Fedaa Ayyad, Gaza City resident:
"There is no joy after we lost our family and loved ones. I don’t think there is any joy. Even if we try to cope with the situation, we can’t truly feel it in our hearts, there is no feeling. I am one of those who cannot feel the atmosphere of Ramadan. We fast for God only, but there is no sense of atmosphere."
11. Various of shoppers buying food items in market
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Raed Koheel, Gaza City resident:
"There is much that has changed from this Ramadan compared to Ramadan before the war. In the past, the atmosphere was more delightful. The streets were lit up with decorations, all streets had decorations, our children were happy and every mosque had decorations at its doors. There were Tarawih prayers in most mosques, but today there are no mosques, mostly prayer rooms. Mosques are limited to prayers, and there are no decorations, and no joy like before."
13. Close of decoration
14. Various of market, shoppers browsing
STORYLINE:
Residents in Gaza City flocked to local markets on Tuesday to prepare for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Shoppers visited roadside stalls and vendors operating amid heavily damaged and destroyed buildings.

"People have been devastated and worn down," said shopper Waleed Zaqzouq, who bemoaned the lack of resources and money amid the war.

"There is no joy after we lost our family and loved ones," said another local resident, Fedaa Ayyad.

Observant Muslims the world over will soon be united in a ritual of daily fasting from dawn to sunset as Ramadan starts.

For Muslims, it’s a time for increased worship, religious reflection and charity. Socially, it often brings families and friends together in festive gatherings around meals to break their fast.

It is the first Ramadan since a fragile US-brokered ceasefire deal that took effect October 10 attempted to halt more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

The Gaza Strip is suffering from a worsening economic crisis, compounded by the impact of the two-year-long war.

"Even if we try to cope with the situation, we can’t truly feel it in our hearts, there is no feeling. I am one of those who cannot feel the atmosphere of Ramadan. We fast for God only, but there is no sense of atmosphere," said Ayyad.

Ramadan is followed by the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

AP video shot by :Mohammad Jahjouh

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