While the Muslim world prepares to celebrate the spirit of sacrifice, Gaza is immersed in profound sorrow. Facing unrelenting military operations, a prolonged blockade, and widespread displacement, Palestinians in the besieged strip are marking their third consecutive Eid without Qurbani. The streets that once echoed with the vibrancy of the Eid season are now shrouded in silence and destruction.The devastation across Gaza is absolute.
Mazen Al-Jerjawi, a former prominent livestock farmer in Gaza City, remembers when this season meant bustling trade and hundreds of sales. The war has decimated his livelihood, forcing him to pivot to running a small restaurant just to survive. He recalls how his farm used to be a hub of activity, whereas today, it lies completely empty. Al-Jerjawi and others report that no live animals are being allowed into Gaza, making the traditional practice of sacrifice an impossibility.
According to data from the Gaza Chamber of Commerce and Industry, nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s livestock sector has been either destroyed or severely compromised by the ongoing military campaign. The Ministry of Agriculture reports a catastrophic decline in livestock numbers, with only about 3,000 sheep and goats remaining from an original population of nearly 60,000 before the conflict. The scarcity has driven prices to astronomical heights, with the cost of a single sheep rising from roughly $600 to an unreachable $7,000.
For most families, spending such a sum on a single animal is entirely unrealistic when daily survival remains the primary objective. The essence of Eid—joy, celebration, and tradition—has been replaced by the grim struggle for survival amidst the rubble. As the season arrives, the people of Gaza remain trapped in a landscape stripped of the festive spirit, marking another year of loss.
