Across the enclave, markets that would normally bustle with Eid shoppers were subdued as residents grappled with soaring inflation, damaged infrastructure and a deepening humanitarian crisis following months of war between Israel and Hamas.

“I go to the market only to look around because I cannot afford to buy anything,” Nadia Abu Shamala, a displaced resident originally from northern Gaza, told AFP from Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.

“This year, Eid comes with none of the joy we once knew in Gaza because of the effects of the war, the soaring prices, and our inability to provide even the simplest needs for our children,” she said.

Although a US-brokered ceasefire began in October 2025, Israeli air strikes continue intermittently across Gaza. The United Nations estimates that roughly 80% of buildings in the territory sustained damage during the conflict, while the majority of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents remain dependent on humanitarian aid for food and essential supplies.

Aid organizations operating in the enclave say restrictions on the volume of goods entering Gaza through Israeli-controlled crossings have contributed to shortages and sharply inflated prices for food, fuel and livestock.

The economic strain has transformed Eid preparations for many households. The ritual sacrifice of sheep or goats, central to Eid Al-Adha commemorations, has become unattainable for most families due to collapsing livestock supplies and wartime inflation.

“The truce is a big lie, but in any case, we are trying to create joy for the children,” said Abu Abdullah Al-Mosadar, a resident of central Gaza who said he pooled about 13,000 shekels ($4,570) with relatives to purchase a sacrificial sheep.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, only about 15,000 sheep remain in Gaza, roughly a quarter of the territory’s pre-war livestock population.

Raafat Asaliya, spokesperson for Gaza’s agriculture ministry, said prices for sacrificial animals had reached unprecedented levels due to shortages, rising feed costs and the destruction of farms.

“A sheep or goat that was sold before the war for around 1,000 shekels is now priced between 11,000 and 15,000 shekels,” Asaliya said.

Residents said even basic meat purchases had become unaffordable.

“Families like ours, who used to make sacrifices every year, are now unable even to buy one kilogram of meat for our children,” said Ahmed Abu Salem, a Gaza City resident.

The hardship has also disrupted longstanding culinary traditions associated with Eid. Families that once baked kaak and maamoul pastries at home now struggle to secure cooking gas and ingredients.

In Khan Younis, some displaced families improvised under makeshift shelters, preparing Eid biscuits in clay ovens beside tents fashioned from reused aid tarpaulins.

“We are still living in tents with no atmosphere of joy, only worries, fear, and exhaustion,” Abu Shamala said. “Without any of the happiness we once knew.”

In a joint statement, Israel’s Defense Ministry and the Jerusalem Municipality said the planned complex would include a military museum, a recruitment office and an office for Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Katz described the move as a matter of “sovereignty, Zionism, and security,” according to the statement.Israeli authorities demolished structures inside the UNRWA compound in January after ordering the agency to vacate the premises and halt operations at the site.

UNRWA condemned the demolition at the time as a violation of international law.The agency had stopped using the compound since the beginning of last year after Israeli directives targeting its operations in Jerusalem.A UNRWA spokesperson declined immediate comment on the cabinet decision.

UNRWA operates in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank, Gaza and several neighboring countries, providing education, health care and social services to Palestinian refugees.

Most countries and the United Nations regard East Jerusalem as occupied territory captured by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Middle East war, while Israel considers the entire city its indivisible capital.

Katz said the establishment of Israeli defense institutions at the former compound carried symbolic significance, accusing some UNRWA employees of involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.Israel has alleged that a number of UNRWA staff members were linked to Hamas and participated in the assault that Israeli authorities say killed about 1,200 people and triggered the war in Gaza.

UNRWA has dismissed several employees following the allegations but has said Israel did not provide evidence supporting all accusations against agency personnel.

Former UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini previously accused Israel of conducting what he described as a large-scale disinformation campaign against the organization.

Gaza health authorities say more than 71,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began following the Oct. 7 attack.

Mohamad Al-Assi, 27, completed the race through Bethlehem and nearby Palestinian refugee camps after rebuilding his strength following more than two and a half years in Israeli detention, where he said poor prison conditions severely weakened his physical condition.

The annual Palestine Marathon, held for the first time in three years, drew thousands of participants and international solidarity runners at a time when many cultural festivals and public gatherings across the West Bank have been canceled or reduced because of the war in Gaza and tighter Israeli movement restrictions.

The marathon route wound through Bethlehem, passing stretches of the concrete barrier separating Israel from the West Bank before looping twice through narrow streets and nearby agricultural areas because runners cannot complete a standard marathon course without encountering Israeli checkpoints or military gates.

Organizers said the event was designed to draw attention to movement restrictions faced by Palestinians in the West Bank, where checkpoints, military closures and expanding Israeli settlements have increasingly constrained daily travel and access to open land.

Al-Assi, who lives in the Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem, said his training routine was repeatedly interrupted by Israeli military operations in the area. He resumed running in December after his release and gradually increased his training distances, according to his account on the fitness tracking application Strava.

“The main difficulties we face are the cars on the roads and the presence of Israeli security forces along the route where I train,” Al-Assi said.He was arrested in April 2023 and initially held under Israel’s administrative detention system, which permits authorities to detain individuals for renewable periods without formal charges.

Palestinian rights organizations and Israeli human rights groups say between 3,000 and 4,000 Palestinians are currently being held under the system.In October 2023, Al-Assi was convicted on charges related to transferring money to suspicious entities, allegations he denies.

Israeli authorities closely scrutinize financial transfers linked to Gaza and Palestinian organizations over concerns funds could reach militant groups. Israel’s military, Shin Bet internal security agency and Prison Service did not comment on his case.Al-Assi said inadequate prison diets and prolonged detention significantly reduced his endurance and muscle mass after years of competitive training.

“I was emotionally shattered after spending such a long period in prison,” he said.The atmosphere in Bethlehem contrasted sharply with the broader regional tensions surrounding the war in Gaza and the fragile ceasefire efforts underway there. Crowds gathered near the Church of the Nativity before sunrise as drummers and bagpipers accompanied runners through the city’s streets.

Parallel events were also held in Gaza, including shorter races involving amputees and disabled runners in Nuseirat in central Gaza. Participants said the events reflected an effort to restore a sense of normalcy after more than two years of conflict and destruction.After crossing the finish line, Al-Assi collapsed to his knees and dedicated his performance to Palestinians still being held in Israeli prisons.