Families In Gaza Are Breaking Their Ramadan Fasts In The Rubble With Little Food Due To Israel’s War
The Abu Rizek family in Gaza has had to mark Ramadan with little food and alone as many of their relatives were killed.
As Ramadan comes to an end and with Eid just around the corner, many Palestinian families have spent the holy month in difficult conditions and with little food to break fasts with due to Israel’s war on Gaza.
Ramadan is the holy month for Muslims during which they fast from sunrise to sunset, refraining from eating and drinking.
However, it is also a month of gathering and festivities, when families come together to celebrate and partake in various festivities, as the month is all about togetherness and merrymaking.
This year’s Ramadan for the Abu Rizek family in Gaza was nothing like that, as they had to celebrate alone as many of their relatives were killed due to Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
The family have been breaking their fasts with a shared meal among the ruins of their home in Rafah.
“This year there are no neighbors or loved ones. They’re not here any more. It’s only us and the children left, sitting here. I don’t know what will become of us,” Ahmed Abu Rizek said.
The family has managed to scrape together enough food for iftar, the meal after a day without eating or drinking.
“We only eat soup and canned food. A can of beans. We’re so tired of canned food and we get sick of it. My son keeps saying his stomach hurts,” Um Mahmoud Abu Rizek, said,recalling the plentiful meals of past Ramadans.
The Abu Rizek Family is more fortunate than a lot of other families in Gaza, where famine is imminent due to Israel’s war and blockade.
Gaza residents are now entirely dependent on food aid.
Many eat only at communal soup kitchens, including for their Ramadan iftar meals.
