REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA \u2014 In Gaza, the time to break the fast is no\nlonger marked by the moments of waiting for the call to prayer. For\nthousands of displaced families, dusk is now anticipated by the effort\nto light a fire without setting their tents ablaze. The aroma of food,\nwhich usually stimulates the appetite, is now mixed with thick smoke\nthat chokes children.<\/p>\n
This year, Ramadan has arrived not with lanterns or tranquility, but\nis borne on the shoulders of mothers searching for a handful of water, a\npiece of bread, and a stove. In the fragile emergency tents, patience\nhas become a daily test to be endured.<\/p>\n
As Maghrib approaches, Zakia Ahmed (35) is seen bending in front of\nher tent in western Gaza. She arranges three stones as an emergency\nstove, then tries to light a fire from pieces of wet cardboard and wood\nshavings. Black smoke fills the air, while her three children cough near\na pot of lentils boiling without any meat.<\/p>\n
The refugee from northern Gaza recalls Ramadan before the war as a\ntime of family happiness. Now, every time she lights a fire, she is\nfilled with fear. \u201cBefore, we welcomed Ramadan with lanterns and the\naroma of soup. Today, I welcome it with the fear that one of my children\nwill be burned by the fire,\u201d she told the Palestinian news agency,\nSanad, as reported by Saba, Wednesday (25\/2\/2026).<\/p>\n
Around her, rows of tents are lined up closely in one of the\nshelters, with fires burning between each pair of tents. There is no\nsafe distance, no safe cooking equipment, only flames rising above the\nnarrow space, where even a small spark is enough to turn the place into\nhell.<\/p>\n
Hussam al-Deeb (42), one of the residents of the refugee camp,\npointed to burn marks near his tent. He recounted how the fire had\nspread to his neighbor\u2019s tent a few days earlier. \u201cA small child was\nburned. We cook very close to each other. There is no safety,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Ramadan, which was once a month of tranquility, has become a season\nof anxiety. The excessive crowding of tents, the scarcity of water, and\nthe lack of safe cooking equipment make preparing the meal a daily\nordeal.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/breaking-fast-in-gaza-experiencing-ramadan-with-fear-1772041707", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }