Eid al-Adha 2026: No Hajj or Sacrificial Animals for Gaza Residents

As Muslims worldwide prepare to celebrate Eid al-Adha 1447 AH/2026 with joy, Palestinians in Gaza must face the holiday under the shadow of ongoing attacks, mass displacement, and worsening humanitarian tragedy. By the third year of the conflict, the usual Eid al-Adha atmosphere—family gatherings, bustling markets, festive cheer, and preparations for animal sacrifices—has almost entirely vanished across Gaza. Instead of celebration, many Palestinians spend their time searching for relatives trapped under rubble, burying victims of Israeli strikes, and surviving amid tightening siege conditions. Quds News Network reports that hospitals across Gaza received 13 Palestinian martyrs in the past 48 hours, including one who succumbed to previously sustained severe injuries. Additionally, 57 others were wounded in ongoing Israeli attacks across the besieged enclave. Medical sources also state that rescue teams remain unable to reach some victims trapped under rubble and in roadways, due to continuous bombardment and severe shortages crippling emergency services. These latest figures reflect Israel’s unrelenting attacks despite a ceasefire agreement that collapsed last October. According to official data cited in the report, 72,757 Palestinians have been killed and 172,645 injured since Israel’s genocide began in October 2023. Since the ceasefire collapsed on 11 October last year, local authorities have recorded 870 deaths, 2,543 injuries, and hundreds rescued from collapsed buildings.