Gaza Palestinians resume weddings in attempt to return to normal life after two years of war

Weddings are once again being held in Gaza after more than two years of war and displacement.

Although the ceremonies taking place are modest and much smaller in size, Palestinians say the choice to resume weddings is an act of defiance in order to continue normal life live despite the widescale devastation brought about by two years of genocidal Israeli war.

Ahmed Sobeh, a 27-year-old Palestinian from Gaza, told The New Arab’s sister publication Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that he was forced to postpone his wedding for more than two years.

He said he "used to dream of a big wedding like everyone else, but the war took everything".

Prior to October 2023, weddings in Gaza were major social occasions marked with huge parties, musical celebrations, street gatherings, and abundant family meals.

With much of Gaza’s infrastructure destroyed and tens of thousands of people living in makeshift tents, ceremonies are instead hosted at homes or small halls if available.

Estimates suggest that 93% of Gaza’s hotels, tourist facilities and wedding halls have been destroyed in Israeli bombardments, with much of the eastern Gaza Strip remaining out of reach for Palestinians due to continued occupation by the Israeli army.

The dire economic situation in the besieged enclave is likewise a factor preventing couples from hosting big events, with feasts that were previously commonplace at Palestinian weddings now a rarity due to extreme prices and limited food options.

"We lost our home and our source of income", Ahmed said, saying this led to continued postponement of his wedding.

Many newlyweds do not have safe homes or the means to buy a new one to start their lives together. Some have lost all income and are using what little savings they might have left to purchase bare necessities at inflated prices.

Gaza’s economy collapsed by around 83% in 2024, the United Nations estimates, with GDP per capita falling to just US$161 a year, the equivalent of less than 50 cents a day.

In a report released in November 2025, the UN’s trade and development agency placed Gaza among the places with the lowest GDP anywhere in the world, as the war pushed all 2.3 million people there below the poverty line.

Many are also choosing to hold modest weddings limited to close family members out of respect for those killed during the genocide, with the health ministry saying at least 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.

Rida A’rab, the father of a groom who recently got married in Gaza, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that his son’s wedding "was quiet and limited, out of respect for people’s pain and the economic situation".

Despite this, families like those of Ahmed and Rida choose to pursue wedding celebrations, remaining defiant of the ongoing situation.

Ahmed’s wedding "was simple", he said, "but important because it carried the message that we are still holding on to life despite all the bitterness and loss".

Rida, too, said that "just having my son start his life despite all this destruction is a joy in itself, a clear message that the war hasn’t succeeded in stealing our hope".