In the context of destroyed houses and shift tents, 250 Palestinian couples gathered in Gaza for a massive wedding ceremony, while territory continues to face the consequences of the war.
The event began with a parade of vehicles decorated with Palestinian flags, flowers and red ribbons.
The column crossed the ruined streets of Gaza City before it reached the Mediterranean coast.
The initiative, organised by the noble Operation 3 Caloraus of the United Arab Emirates, with the support of the Benevolent and Humanitarian Foundation é Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimiı, aimed to help Palestinian youth face financial difficulties in coping with marriage, amid shifting and worsening living conditions.
For groom Said al-Najar, this holiday was held in the background of personal losses. He said the Israeli attacks had destroyed his family’s home and that he now lives in a tent in the refugee camp in Jabalia.
Al-Najjar said he was selected through a cast organised by the event committee.
This joy belongs not only to a groom or 250 sons-in-law, but to all Gaza people, he said.
He added that like thousands of other Palestinians, he had lost his home and had nowhere to go.
Another son-in-law, Mohammed Kuwait, said his house was destroyed during the war and that he had no financial opportunity to rent another apartment.
We will live in a tent, he said, explaining that he will start his marriage in a shift camp.
Kuwait said increasing the cost of living has increasingly made it difficult for Palestinian youths to marry. He added that the mass wedding has given him and his 249 sons-in-laws the opportunity to celebrate their marriages despite difficult circumstances.
For Munir al-Taritar, the party was accompanied by the pain of losing family. He said his mother and several other relatives were killed during the war, while the family home was also destroyed.
He said he would like his mother to be there to share with him on the wedding day.
Despite the blockade and war in Gaza, we will celebrate and restore hope to our hearts, he said.
According to the organising committee, 11,622 persons applied to attend the mass wedding.
Of them, 1,335 met the turnout conditions, while 250 boys were chosen by lot. / AA/