Ramadan arrives in the Gaza Strip amidst the ruins of destroyed mosques

As the holy month of Ramadan began in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Palestinians flocked to the ruins of destroyed mosques or makeshift prayer spaces constructed of wood and tarpaulins, grieving for their loved ones and the mosques that had been destroyed.

In Gaza City, the dome of the destroyed al-Hasayna Mosque now rests atop a pile of rubble. In its former courtyard, where worshippers once gathered, families sleep, cook, and hang their laundry to dry on lines that crisscross the space.

“I can’t bear to look at this,” said Sami al-Hassi, 61, a volunteer at the mosque in Gaza City, standing amidst the ruins of a place where worshippers once stood shoulder to shoulder. “We used to pray in peace. We used to see our friends and loved ones. Now there are no loved ones, no friends, and no mosque.”

Children climb atop the cracked domes, and women gather laundry hanging between the broken pillars.

Al-Hussaini said the mosque used to attract worshippers from all over the city during Ramadan, including the Shuja’iyya and Daraj neighborhoods.

He continued, “It used to be packed with thousands… but now, where will they pray? It’s all rubble and ruin. There’s barely room for a hundred people.”