Prayers among ruins in Gaza: Palestinians mark Eid under Israeli bombardment

For the second year in a row, Eid al-Fitr in Gaza was marked by grief instead of joy, as Israeli airstrikes continued across the territory. (Photo: AP)

With many mosques destroyed, worshippers prayed in the streets, in makeshift shelters, and in the ruins of the once-grand Omari Mosque. (Photos: AP)

Bombings continued throughout Eid day, with more casualties reported in Khan Yunis and Rafah, even as mediators push for a ceasefire. (Photo: AP)

Instead of waking to Eid prayers, many Gazans awoke to explosions, with pre-dawn Israeli airstrikes killing civilians, including five children in Khan Yunis. (Photo: AP)

Hundreds of thousands, forced from their homes, spent Eid in overcrowded shelters or tents, struggling to find food and safety. (Photo: AP)

Many Gazans marked Eid at cemeteries, as they lost loved ones in the war, while the sounds of artillery and drones filled the air. (Photo: AP)

While people out to pray, many families avoided visiting each other, afraid that airstrikes could hit at any moment, turning reunions into more funerals.

Ezzedine Mousa, a resident of Gaza City, said, "People are afraid to visit one another because a rocket could strike at any moment, claiming their lives." "Our children's eyes reflect their fear, but we do our best to keep them happy with whatever little we have." (Photo: AP)

In Gaza, Eid was stripped of its usual happiness, replaced by death, displacement, and hunger. Families tried to observe religious rituals for their children, but the weight of war was inescapable.

“There is killing, displacement, hunger, and a siege,” said a worshipper Saed al-Kourd (not pictured). “We go out to perform God’s rituals in order to make the children happy, but as for the joy of Eid? There is no Eid.” (Photo: AP)

The war rages on, with over 50,000 Palestinians killed since October, and no truce in place since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18.