Gaza's grim Eid al-Adha: Residents drowning in grief and poverty

Residents of Gaza are observing Eid al-Adha 1447H/2026 amid a sombre atmosphere as Israeli aggression continues. Across Gaza, the echoes of Eid takbir resound alongside cries of loss, poverty, and life in makeshift refugee tents.

The Baroud family in Shati refugee camp, Gaza City, epitomises this sorrow. Previously, the extended family would gather, visit relatives, share sacrificial meat, and take annual family photos. Now, these traditions are but memories.

Walaa Baroud gazes at their final family photograph. Of the 22 people in the frame, 13 have been killed by Israeli attacks. Over 80 members of the extended Baroud family have reportedly died during the aggression.

Days before Eid al-Adha, the family lost another member, Baha Baroud, killed in an Israeli strike. ‘The war has not ceased taking our loved ones,’ Walaa told Al Jazeera on Friday, 29 June 2026. ‘We never anticipated having to set up a mourning tent during the ceasefire.’

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Israeli aggression has killed nearly 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Elsewhere in Gaza, elderly woman Hajja Shama al-Zorbatli spent Eid al-Adha in a small tent on the roadside, having lost her home and husband to the war. ‘Eid al-Fitr was not celebrated in a tent,’ said the 70-year-old.

Her tent lacks electricity, television, internet, and phone access. She is unaware of the current date. Upon seeing footage of Hajj pilgrims in Mecca, she wept. ‘I have never entered the House of God. My wish is to perform Hajj. But what kind of Hajj is this when I cannot even find food to eat?’