{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1562958,
        "msgid": "first-day-of-ramadan-in-gaza-cold-and-difficult-1771506165",
        "date": "2026-02-18 15:10:00",
        "title": "First Day of Ramadan in Gaza: 'Cold' and 'Difficult'",
        "author": "",
        "source": "VIVA",
        "tags": "berita",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "Gaza residents marked the first day of Ramadan on 18 February 2026 amid dire economic conditions and ongoing violence, despite a US-mediated ceasefire that took effect in October. With over 72,000 Palestinians killed since Israel's military campaign began following Hamas's October 2023 attack, residents described a Ramadan stripped of its usual warmth, hampered by poverty, displacement, and sporadic Israeli gunfire that has claimed more than 600 lives since the truce.",
        "content": "<p>In Gaza, the first day of Ramadan fell on Wednesday, 18 February\n2026. Under normal circumstances, Ramadan is a time for gathering with\nfamily and friends to break the fast in warmth and fellowship. For\nMuslims, it is also a period for intensified worship, deeper religious\nreflection, and sharing with others.<\/p>\n<p>However, conditions in Gaza are far from normal. According to the\nGaza Health Ministry, Israeli military strikes have killed more than\n72,000 Palestinians, caused widespread destruction, and forced the vast\nmajority of the territory\u2019s population to flee their homes. The\noffensive was launched after Hamas-led militants killed approximately\n1,200 people \u2014 mostly civilians \u2014 and took 251 hostages in the attack on\n7 October 2023.<\/p>\n<p>As Gaza residents visited markets this week, many lamented the\nworsening economic conditions that have made Ramadan even harder to\nobserve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople have no money left. There are no jobs. Yes, it\u2019s Ramadan, but\nRamadan also costs money,\u201d said Waleed Zaqzouq, a resident of Gaza City,\nas reported by AP News on Wednesday, 18 February 2026.<\/p>\n<p>He expressed hope that traders would take into account the economic\nhardship facing the population.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore the war, people lived with dignity. Now everything has\ncompletely changed. People are truly devastated and exhausted,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n<p>A US-mediated ceasefire that came into effect on 10 October sought to\nend more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas. Although major\nfighting has subsided, Israeli gunfire in Gaza occurs almost daily.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli forces have carried out multiple air strikes and frequently\nfired upon Palestinians near military-controlled zones, killing more\nthan 600 people, according to Gaza health officials. The Health\nMinistry, which operates under the Hamas-led government, maintains\ndetailed casualty records that have been deemed broadly reliable by\nUnited Nations agencies and independent experts. However, the data does\nnot distinguish between civilians and combatants.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, militant groups have also carried out shooting attacks\nagainst Israeli soldiers. Israel has stated that its operations are in\nresponse to such attacks and other violations. Four Israeli soldiers\nhave reportedly been killed.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/first-day-of-ramadan-in-gaza-cold-and-difficult-1771506165",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}