People gather for iftar on the first day of the month of Ramadan in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on March 1, 2025 by the rubble of collapsed buildings that were destroyed during the war. (Credit: Bashar Taleb/AFP)
In a makeshift kitchen, with the smell of white paint still fresh, newlywed Maram Rajab is stirring a fresh pot of lentil soup, a staple Ramadan dish. Speaking by phone from Gaza City, she says, with a shy laugh, that this Ramadan is "different because it's the first that I will be spending it as a bride to my high school sweetheart."Despite the lack of decorations available in the market and "the lack of money to spend except on necessary items," Maram and her husband Hisham Hasanen insist on making it a joyful holy month.Married on Jan. 20, the day after the first phase of the cease-fire came into effect, the couple returned to the home they had worked so hard to furnish — using their combined salaries as elementary school teachers — only to find it half standing. The couple worked hard to fix up what they could, "partly restoring...
In a makeshift kitchen, with the smell of white paint still fresh, newlywed Maram Rajab is stirring a fresh pot of lentil soup, a staple Ramadan dish. Speaking by phone from Gaza City, she says, with a shy laugh, that this Ramadan is "different because it's the first that I will be spending it as a bride to my high school sweetheart."Despite the lack of decorations available in the market and "the lack of money to spend except on necessary items," Maram and her husband Hisham Hasanen insist on making it a joyful holy month.Married on Jan. 20, the day after the first phase of the cease-fire came into effect, the couple returned to the home they had worked so hard to furnish — using their combined salaries as elementary school teachers — only to find it half standing. The couple worked hard to fix up what they could, "partly...