A Palestinian seller displays his lanterns in Rafah in an innovative way to attract the attention of children (Anatolia)

Despite the Israeli war taking place in the Gaza Strip, the streets of the city of Rafah, south of the Strip, are not devoid of lantern sellers, rejoicing at the arrival of the month of Ramadan.

In one of the small stalls, the Palestinian young man, Muhammad Fayez (35 years old), displays his lanterns on a small rope in an innovative way to attract the attention of children.

The lanterns displayed in the streets of Rafah were distinguished by their bright colors and diverse designs, as they emanated the spirit of joy and celebration with the advent of the month of Ramadan.

The lantern, in its various shapes, colors and sizes, is considered an integral part of the traditional aspects of welcoming the holy month of Ramadan in Arab and Islamic culture.

Lanterns singing Ramadan songs

Children flock to buy lighted lanterns that are distinguished by their ability to chant distinctive songs for the month of Ramadan.

In front of the small stall, the sad scenes left by the war on Gaza turned into pictures of joy, as residents flocked to enjoy seeing the lanterns, hearing the drums, and chanting Ramadan songs.

In the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, the child Nesma Badr (9 years old) held onto a small lantern that she had bought, happy with it to decorate her tent to which she was displaced from Gaza City.

Badr's face clearly reflects joy after her mother bought the lantern that sings Ramadan songs and lights up with a mixture of red and yellow.

Lanterns are a symbol of the holy month

As Fayez elegantly arranges his stall, he says, "I worked hard selling lanterns. It is an indispensable seasonal occupation every Ramadan. It represents an integral part of our traditions."

He added, "Despite the war, we want to bring joy to children during Ramadan, and the lantern is a symbol of this holy month."

He continues, "The war has caused a lot of suffering. We have no food or water. We are being displaced from our homes and mourning the loss of our loved ones, but we still hope to bring a little joy."

He pointed out that "there is a demand for lanterns during the month of Ramadan, especially from children, despite the difficult circumstances resulting from the war."

The Gaza Strip dreams of love and peace

The young Palestinian hopes that the war will end and that life will return to normal in the Gaza Strip, with love and peace, and that he will stay away from the noise of aircraft and the continuous Israeli raids.

Fayez fears that Israel will launch a military operation in the city of Rafah, especially amid the ongoing threats and the failure of efforts to reach a ceasefire.

Recently, the Mini-Ministerial Council for Political and Security Affairs (the Cabinet) discussed a plan to evacuate the Palestinians from Rafah in preparation for its invasion, despite international warnings that such a step might lead to massacres against hundreds of thousands of displaced people, who have nowhere else to go after they were forced to flee from all sides. The areas of the Gaza Strip are under the weight of the raging war, which has entered its sixth month.

As a result of the war and Israeli restrictions, the residents of Gaza, especially the Gaza and North governorates, are on the verge of famine, in light of a severe scarcity of food, water, medicine and fuel supplies, with the displacement of about two million Palestinians from the Strip, which has been besieged by Israel for 17 years.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip that has left tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive destruction of infrastructure, which led to Tel Aviv being brought before the International Court of Justice on charges of “ Genocide".

Source: Anadolu Agency