JERUSALEM (RNS) — The stores near the Damascus Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem are filled with holiday sweets, and the butcher shops are overflowing with lamb and beef. Ramadan lamps and extra-large bags of charcoal for nightly iftar break fasts greet customers at the minimarkets.Despite the bustle of holiday prep, “Ramadan feels different this year, sadder because of the war,” said a shopper named Layla, who, like many East Jerusalem Palestinians, preferred not to share her last name due to caution about publicizing their views.
The Israel-Hamas war that began on Oct. 7, when Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 more, and Israel’s subsequent military onslaught in Gaza, has gutted Muslims around the world, but none more perhaps than those in the Palestinian neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
“How can we have big festive iftar meals when we know that the people in Gaza don’t have enough food?” said Fadi, a young East Jerusalem resident who works in a sporting goods store. Nearly all of the more than 2 million Palestinians who live in Gaza are displaced, and many are on the edge of starvation, according to relief agencies.
In East Jerusalem, the uncertainty in the days before Ramadan, which begins Monday or Tuesday (March 11 …
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The Israel-Hamas war that began on Oct. 7, when Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 more, and Israel’s subsequent military onslaught in Gaza, has gutted Muslims around the world, but none more perhaps than those in the Palestinian neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
“How can we have big festive iftar meals when we know that the people in Gaza don’t have enough food?” said Fadi, a young East Jerusalem resident who works in a sporting goods store. Nearly all of the more than 2 million Palestinians who live in Gaza are displaced, and many are on the edge of starvation, according to relief agencies.
In East Jerusalem, the uncertainty in the days before Ramadan, which begins Monday or Tuesday (March 11 …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]