6/16/2024–|Last updated: 6/16/202410:33 AM (Mecca time)
The people of the Gaza Strip tried to seize moments of happiness on the blessed Eid al-Adha, amid continuous Israeli bombing and human suffering as a result of the Israeli war that lasted more than 8 months, while the people of Taiz in Yemen and the Jordanian capital, Amman, demonstrated after Eid prayers in solidarity with Gaza.
Residents of Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip, performed Eid prayers on the ruins of a mosque, while worshipers in Gaza City performed Eid prayers among the ruins of the Al-Omari Mosque.
In the south of the Gaza Strip, dozens of residents of Khan Yunis performed Eid al-Adha prayers on the ruins of Al-Rahma Mosque, which was destroyed by Israeli air strikes.
The preacher of the Jabalia Mosque, north of the Gaza Strip, said that the enemy is trying to break the resolve of the people of Gaza, but they continue to defend their land and the nation’s sanctities.
He added that the occupation “is trying to prevent us from commemorating the blessed Eid al-Adha and prevent us from getting closer to God, but we are supporting the arrogant enemy who prevents us from performing our religious rituals.”
Pictures published by Palestinian media showed women making Eid cakes on the ruins of their destroyed homes in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.
Local accounts also published scenes showing the joyful moments of displaced Palestinian children in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, amid the harsh conditions they are experiencing as a result of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian women make Eid cakes in Khan Yunis, despite the destruction and rubble surrounding them pic.twitter.com/g0bNL8TXUz
– Al-Qastal News (@AlQastalps) June 16, 2024
Because they are the Eid… they have no need to wear new clothes… Displaced children celebrate Eid Al-Adha in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/vLHZcklR2A
– Tariq Jaber (@TariqJaber14041) June 16, 2024
Relief intensified
For its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) called on Sunday for intensifying relief efforts for the Palestinian people in the face of the war of extermination waged by the Israeli occupation.
In a statement on the occasion of the first day of Eid al-Adha, Hamas said, “We congratulate our nation on the advent of Eid, and the pilgrims of the Holy House of God for performing the Hajj rituals this year.”
She called for “supporting the steadfastness of our Palestinian people and their defense of their sanctities, and intensifying efforts to provide relief in the face of the war of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and starvation.”
Hamas affirmed that “the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in all arenas of the homeland and outside it, stand on behalf of the entire nation, in defense of the blessed land of Palestine, and in defense and protection of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first qibla of Muslims, and the third of the Two Holy Mosques.”
Solidarity with Gaza
In Jordan, hundreds demonstrated in the vicinity of the Israeli embassy west of the capital, Amman, after Eid al-Adha prayers, denouncing the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
The demonstrators praised the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in Gaza, and called for an immediate end to the war, the opening of the Rafah crossing, and the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip. They also called for the cancellation of the Jordanian-Israeli peace agreement.
Press coverage Cheers for Al-Aqsa Mosque near the occupation embassy in Amman after Eid prayers pic.twitter.com/rULZ9eLI4m
– Quds News Network (@qudsn) June 16, 2024
In Yemen, thousands of worshipers performed Eid al-Adha prayers in Freedom Square in the city of Taiz in the center of the country. Before and after the Eid prayers, the worshipers chanted slogans of solidarity with the Gaza Strip and to denounce the massacres of the Israeli occupation and the ongoing war on the Strip for 8 months.
The worshipers also called on the international community to take practical steps to force the Israeli occupation to implement international legitimacy resolutions, lift the siege on Gaza, allow the entry of humanitarian and food aid, and stop genocide operations.
In Saudi Arabia, the head of religious affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, said that the joy of Eid does not make Muslims forget the tragedies of the destruction, displacement and killing that vulnerable Palestinians are exposed to.
The Israeli war on Gaza left more than 122,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and about 10,000 missing amid massive destruction and famine that claimed the lives of children and the elderly.
The Israeli occupation army continues this war, ignoring a Security Council resolution demanding that it stop the fighting immediately, and orders from the Court of Justice demanding that it stop its attack on Rafah, and take immediate measures to prevent acts of “genocide” and “improve the humanitarian situation” in Gaza.