GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), During the Eid al‑Adha holiday, cemeteries in the Gaza Strip are no longer merely places of burial; they have become a central destination for thousands of families who have lost loved ones in the ongoing Israeli war since October 2023.
Amid graves, tents, and displacement camps, bereaved families mark the holiday with memories of loss and absence, as the traditional expressions of joy, once familiar to Gazans during religious occasions, have faded away.
In the al‑Faluja cemetery north of the Gaza Strip, grandmother Nadia Abu Jalhoum sat beside the graves of her sons and grandchildren, reciting verses of the holy Quran and raising her hands in prayer. Since losing members of her family in the war, visiting the cemetery has become part of her Eid rituals.
The grandmother says Eid is no longer what it used to be in past years when her family gathered at home, and children and grandchildren exchanged visits and greetings, adding that the cemetery has now become the closest place to visit those who are absent.
She recounts that her sons Anwar, 42, Ahmad, 30, and Khamis, 26, along with her daughter Sahira, 19, and her grandson Muaad, were all martyred during short intervals in the war, with the time gap between the death of one son and another not exceeding 10 days.
“What mother could endure such pain? Only 10 days separated one martyr from the next, and the last one I lost was my grandson, little Muaad,” she said.
According to Nadia, who spoke in a report aired by Al Jazeera, the loss of her children has not only changed the nature of Eid but also reshaped the daily life of the entire family, especially for the children who lost their parents in the war and still ask about them during holidays and occasions.
The suffering of Nadia’s family goes beyond bereavement, as they now live in a tent after their home was destroyed in the war, enduring harsh living conditions marked by water shortages, soaring temperatures, and difficulty in securing basic needs.
Her family lives in an area near the “yellow line” in northern Gaza, where the Israeli occupation forces are stationed. It is a location that keeps residents on edge due to the persistent gunfire in the area, she says.
Despite the dire security and living conditions, Nadia insists on visiting the cemetery every Eid holiday before quietly returning to the tent that shelters the surviving members of her family.
