Palestinians in Gaza mark Eid al-Adha, amid hope for living in peace

On Wednesday, the Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave of the Gaza Strip marked Eid al-Adha celebrations in an atmosphere of cautious joy and celebrations.

In the early morning, dozens of thousands of worshipers, including women and children, flocked to mosques and public squares to perform Eid prayers and hear sermons, most of which urged the need for Palestinian reconciliation and an end to the division among the factions.

After the end of the Eid prayer, the Palestinians rushed to the slaughterhouses and then distribute a third of the sacrificial meat to relatives and a third to the poor, while keeping the final third for the family, according to tradition.

The Palestinians expressed their joy in participating in the celebration of Eid al-Adha, hoping that the coming years will be better and that the local population will enjoy political and economic peace.

"Eid al-Adha comes to Gazans in an atmosphere of happiness, especially for our children who have lost joy over the years due to the Israeli crimes against the Palestinians against the local population, whether economic or social, political, or even poverty and unemployment," Sameh Abu Shaaban, a Gaza-based man, said to The New Arab.

"We look forward to international intervention in order to pressure Israel to stop its violations against the Palestinian people," he added. 

He stressed that the Palestinians, whether in Gaza or the occupied West Bank, need to live in peace without forcing them to live under endless Israeli crimes.

The same sentiment was adopted by Ibrahim Shaladan, another Gaza-based resident. The 43-year-old father of four said to TNA, "I came here with my children to participate in the slaughter of a calf to commemorate the Sunnah of our Prophet Mohammed."

"Such joyous occasions help our children know that we have festivals and that we love life. Unfortunately, our children are forced to live under pressure all the time because of the Israeli attacks and escalations in Gaza," Shaladan said.

Once they wore their new Eid clothes, children also took part in the celebrations and headed to playgrounds to spend fun times with their friends.

Salma al-Shafie, a Gaza-based girl, said to TNA that she is so happy to experience Eid with his siblings and brothers without losing any one of them during the latest Israeli war in May.

"We want to live in a safe place and not witness more Israeli wars. We are just children who are looking forward to enjoying their human rights and their right to play," the 12-year-old girl added.

The residents in the coastal enclave have been suffering from the consequences of the illegal Israeli blockade imposed in the territory, home to more than 2.3 million people, since 2007.

Moreover, Israel launched five large-scale military wars against the population, killing and wounding thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and destroying a significant number of official and civilian infrastructure.

Making the situation even worse is a restriction on the ability of Gaza's residents to move in and out of the coastal enclave imposed by Egyptian authorities, under the pretext of curbing Hamas.