UNITED NATIONS, Mar 20 : Clusters of tents are cobbled together with any available fabric, plastic and wood, as Ramadan decorations, lamps and lanterns illuminate a crowded camp of displaced people in central Gaza, spreading a ray of hope amid the rubble of war, according to a UN report. While ceasefire talks failed to end the five-month-long conflict that has killed nearly 32,000 Palestinians \u2013 most of them women and children \u2013 the goal of some youngsters living in the makeshift camp was simple.<\/p>\n
The children of Deir Al-Balah decided to lift their spirits in the face of ongoing war and celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, despite all the difficulties resulting from relentless Israeli attacks on Gaza. \u201cEvery year we welcome Ramadan in our homes, but this year is different,\u201d Shahad, a displaced child, told UN News\u2019s correspondent in Gaza, Ziad Talib. \u201cRamadan has come upon us while we are in the middle of war.\u201d One of the children in the camp, Shahad, said she was having fun carrying lanterns for Ramadan. \u201cWe agreed to change the atmosphere of war and decorate the camp,\u201d she explained, with a smile on her face and enthusiasm filling her voice.
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\nAmira, displaced from northern Gaza \u201cfrom built houses to tents on the dirt\u201d, cherished the happiness as the youngsters sang in a small square between the tents. \u201cThe children\u2019s joy is our joy,\u201d she said. Despite the grief, loss and distance from family and loved ones, Amira said they decided on their own to celebrate the holy month. The displaced people and residents in Deir Al-Balah alike are suffering from challenging and difficult conditions, with hostilities displacing more than 1.7 million people amid an ever-worsening hunger crisis, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). As lifesaving deliveries into the besieged enclave are alarmingly insufficient to meet rapidly escalating needs of almost the entire population who depend on food aid, famine warnings came on Monday, with a new report revealing that half the population in Gaza \u2013 1.1 million people \u2013 have completely exhausted their food supplies and are suffering from catastrophic hunger and starvation. \u201cRamadan is upon us, and we are in the worst situation,\u201d warned Ahmed Abd Rabbo Musleh, who was displaced from Beit Hanoun in the north. People are trying hard to find something to support their families, especially during Ramadan, with a simple meal costing about 40 shekels (about $11), he said, adding that \u201cwe cannot live at these prices.\u201d Despite the circumstances, Ahmed said he was able to provide food and drink for his family, but \u201cthere are those who cannot afford even bread.\u201d Others agreed, including Ahmed Thabet, who said no one can afford the \u201cexorbitantly high prices\u201d to buy what little food is available. \u201cRamadan this year is different from any Ramadan we have experienced throughout our entire lives,\u201d he said. A displaced woman from the Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City said vegetables for a whole week used to cost about $5, but not anymore.\u201cWe were deprived of everything,\u201d she stressed, saying the situation is getting worse every day. One man said he did not have any money, forcing him to get breakfast from one of the hospices and lamenting that \u201cthe situation this Ramadan is unprecedentedly tragic.\u201d As the winter comes to an end and the war enters its sixth month, hope emerges amid the tents of the Deir Al-Balah camp, where Amira watched a group of children raise their lanterns. \u201cDespite the war and tragedy,\u201d she said, \u201cwe are living through it. We love the children\u2019s joy. We love to change the situation we are living in and raise our morale and the morale of our people.\u201d Meanwhile, children\u2019s voices rise above the tiny square, wishing all passersby Ramadan Kareem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 20 : Clusters of tents are cobbled together with any available fabric, plastic and wood, as Ramadan decorations, lamps and lanterns illuminate a crowded camp of displaced people in central Gaza, spreading a ray of hope amid the rubble of war, according to a UN report. While ceasefire talks failed to end […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":395086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-395069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n