The 10-day conflict pales in comparison to the war, now in its sixth month.
Jerusalem/Rafa Gaza:
Palestinians prepare for Ramadan in a somber mood and Israeli police step up security, while the specter of war and hunger in Gaza casts a pall over the usually festive Muslim holy month and talks to secure a ceasefire are stalled.
Thousands of police officers have been deployed around the narrow streets of Jerusalem’s Old City, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, welcomes tens of thousands of worshipers every day.
The area, known as the Temple Mount, considered the holiest site for Jews, has long been a flashpoint for trouble and one of the starting points for the final war in 2021 between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza. .
The 10-day conflict pales in comparison to the war, now in its sixth month. It started on October 7, when thousands of Hamas militants stormed into Israel, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli statistics.
Israel’s ruthless actions in Gaza have prompted growing alarm around the world as the risk of famine grows, with the death toll exceeding 31,000.
Last month, far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir caused some confusion when he said he wanted to limit worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ) said the number of admissions would be similar to last year.
“This is our mosque and we have to take care of it,” said Azzam Khatib, director general of the Jerusalem Waqf Foundation, the religious foundation that oversees Al-Aqsa Mosque. “We must protect the presence of Muslims in this mosque and they should be able to enter in large numbers peacefully and safely.”
Depending on lunar observations, Ramadan will begin on Monday or Tuesday this week.
But unlike in previous years, the usual decorations around the Old City were not in place, and towns across the occupied West Bank took on a similarly somber atmosphere, with about 400 Palestinians fighting in clashes with security forces or Jewish settlers. Lost lives since the war began.
“Out of respect for the blood of our children, elders and martyrs, we have decided not to decorate Jerusalem’s Old City this year,” said Old City community leader Ammar Sidd.
Police said they were working to ensure peace during Ramadan and took extra steps to combat provocative and distorted information on social media networks and arrested 20 people on suspicion of inciting terrorism.
“Israeli police will continue to take action to ensure the safe conduct of Ramadan prayers on the Temple Mount while maintaining security in the area,” police said in a statement.
For the rest of the Muslim world, Israel’s oversight of Al-Aqsa Mosque has long been one of the most grievances, and last month Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called on Palestinians to start Ramadan March to the mosque.
Last year, clashes broke out as police entered the mosque compound, drawing condemnation from the Arab League and Saudi Arabia. Israel has been seeking to normalize diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and expanded its efforts to build ties with regional powers including the United Arab Emirates.
ceasefire hope
Hopes of a ceasefire that would have allowed for a peaceful Ramadan and the return of at least some of the 134 Israeli hostages held in Gaza appear to have been dashed, with talks in Cairo apparently stalled.
Amid the ruins of Gaza itself, half of the 2.3 million people are huddled in the southern city of Rafah, where many live in plastic tents and face severe food shortages, and the atmosphere is correspondingly somber.
“We have done nothing to prepare for Ramadan because we have been fasting for five months,” said Maha, a mother of five who usually fills her home with decorations and stocking the refrigerator to celebrate while people rest Eid supplies. their fast.
“There is no food, we only have some canned goods and rice, and most of the food is sold at incredibly high prices,” she said via a chat app in Rafah, where she and her family have taken refuge.
In the West Bank, where violence has hit record levels for more than two years and has surged further since the Gaza war, the stakes are high, with restive towns such as Jenin, Tulkarem or Nablus facing the threat of further conflict.
In Israel, fears of Palestinian car crashes or knife attacks have also led to increased security preparations.
For many who wait, there is no alternative but to hope for peace.
Nehad El-said: “Ramadan is a blessed month and although this year is different from previous years, we are determined and patient and we will greet Ramadan as usual, with decorations, songs, prayers and fasting.” Jade with Families displaced in Gaza.
“Next Ramadan, we hope that Gaza will return, that all the destruction and siege in Gaza will change and that everything will return in a better state.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
