A red -covered table that stretched a few hundred meters cut the path through the crowds of ruins in southern Gaza, while families gathered to break their quickly during the Muslim Saint Moon Ramadan.
While the sun was setting on the neighborhood in Rafah, where Israel’s war on Gaza left barely a handful of buildings, hundreds of Palestinians of all ages dug into their meal of iftar, which marked the end of the day.
“People are deeply sad, and everything around us feels heartbeat,” said Malak Fadda, who organized a common meal.
“So, we decided to bring joy to this street, just like before the war.”
The music passed from the speakers through the crowd in Rafah, which was sitting on a long series of plastic chairs under Bunting, Palestinian flags and lights drawn between a broken concrete.
The Israeli bombing displaced almost the entire population and triggered wide hunger, according to the United Nations.
The truce that came into force on January 19 enabled the greater flow of help in the devastated Palestinian territory, but hundreds of thousands still live in tents, and many camped in the ruins of their former homes.
In the northern town of Beit Lahiya, dozens of defiance joined in a pale evening light to quickly break among the remains of semi-defined buildings.
“We are here in the middle of destruction and ruins and we are unwavering despite pain and wounds,” Mohammed Abu al-Jidyan said.
“We eat iftar on our country here and we will not leave this place,” he added.
