Palestinians in Gaza marked Eid al-Fitr under dire conditions on Sunday, facing food shortages and mourning children killed in Israel’s latest airstrikes. Many prayed outside demolished mosques, struggling to find any sense of joy in what is meant to be a festive occasion.Grief and Destruction“It’s the Eid of sadness,” said Adel al-Shaer, who attended prayers amid rubble in Deir al-Balah. “We lost our loved ones, our children, our lives, and our futures.” He lost 20 family members in Israeli strikes, including four young nephews just days ago.The bodies of 14 emergency responders were recovered in Rafah, a week after an Israeli attack. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies called it the “single most deadly attack on Red Cross Red Crescent workers anywhere in the world since 2017.”“There is killing, displacement, hunger, and a siege,” said worshipper Saed al-Kourd. “We go out to perform God’s rituals to make the children happy, but as for the joy of Eid? There is no Eid.”Truce NegotiationsIsrael resumed the 17-month war this month with a surprise bombardment, killing hundreds after Hamas refused changes to a January ceasefire deal. Food, fuel, and humanitarian aid have been blocked for a month. Arab mediators are trying to restart talks, with Hamas accepting a new proposal from Egypt and Qatar. Israel has countered with a separate proposal, coordinated with the U.S.Targeting of Emergency WorkersThe Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said eight of its medical workers and five members of Gaza’s Civil Defense were among those found dead. A ninth medic remains missing. The PRCS condemned the targeting of medics as a “war crime.”Gaza’s Health Ministry claimed some bodies were bound and shot in the chest, urging an international investigation. Israel’s military said troops fired on vehicles moving “suspiciously” without emergency signals, claiming nine “terrorists” were killed.Netanyahu’s Conditions for Ending the WarIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that military operations would continue while negotiations were underway. He outlined conditions for ending the war, including Hamas disarmament and resettling Gaza’s population elsewhere—terms rejected by Hamas and criticized by human rights groups.Civilian Casualties Continue to MountIsraeli strikes on Sunday killed at least 16 people, including nine children and three women, in Khan Younis. Some children were found in new Eid clothes. In Deir al-Balah, an evening strike killed at least two more people.The war, which began on October 7, 2023, has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel claims to have killed around 20,000 militants but has not provided evidence. The conflict started after Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages, 59 of whom remain in captivity.West Bank ControversyIsrael’s security cabinet approved a road project for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, near the Maaleh Adumim settlement. Critics argue this is a step toward annexation, undermining a future Palestinian state.The two-state solution remains the internationally recognized path to peace, but ongoing settlements and land annexations continue to challenge its feasibility.
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