Palestinians prepare for Ramazan in the shadow of Gaza war
JERUSALEM (MNP) – Palestinians prepared for Ramazan in a sombre mood with heightened security measures by Israeli police and the spectre of war and hunger in Gaza overshadowing the normally festive Muslim holy month as talks to secure a ceasefire stalled.
Thousands of police have been deployed around the narrow streets of the Old City in Jerusalem, where tens of thousands of worshippers are expected every day at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, one of the holiest sites in Islam.
The area, considered the most sacred place by Jews who know it as Temple Mount, has been a longstanding flashpoint for trouble and was one of the starting points of the last war in 2021 between Israel and Hamas, the militant movement that controls Gaza.
That 10-day conflict has been dwarfed by the current war, which is now in its sixth month. It began on Oct 7 when thousands of Hamas fighters stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s relentless campaign in Gaza has caused increasing alarm across the world as the growing risk of famine threatens to add to a death toll that has already passed 31,000.
