Gaza Celebrates Eid al-Fitr Amid Economic Crisis
Gazans still find a way to celebrate the Islamic festival despite the economic hardship caused by the Israeli and Egyptian blockade.
Eid al-Fitr, an opportunity to celebrate, buy new clothes, visit relatives and eat home-made sweets has arrived in the Gaza Strip, after a month of fasting during Ramadan.
The feast’s first day starts by breaking the fast with smoked or salted herring. Then come the family visits and a glut of ka’ak — a type of bread similar to bagels — stuffed with dried dates.
On Fahmy Bek Street, in the old marketplace, Mohammed Zaytouniyya, 24, sells salted fish on a table in front of him. He tells Al-Monitor that he salts and stores the fish three weeks to a month before the feast and starts selling them as the feast approaches. He says that, with the help of his brothers, he has produced 300 kilograms [661 pounds] of salted fish.
Not all families eat salted fish on the morning of the feast. Some prefer smoked herring. Because of the closure of the crossings, Israeli herring cannot be found — which traders consider better than Egyptian herring. There was a shortage of the latter after traders had bought and stored them.
