Gaza residents are holding weddings again in the wake of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, though celebrations are smaller and more restrained than before, the Qatari Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported last week.
Most weddings are now reportedly small and limited to immediate family members as tens of thousands of residents continue to live in displacement camps or temporary shelters. Celebrations are being held quietly, raising questions about hosting events while many remain without homes, the outlet reported.
Ahmed Subh, 27, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that he postponed his wedding for over two years due to the war and displacement.
“We dreamed of a big celebration like everyone else, but the war took everything,” he said. “We lost our home, we lost our source of income, and the wedding was postponed again and again. In the end, we decided to hold a small ceremony at a relative’s house, inviting only our closest loved ones, no extravagance, no noise. The celebration was simple, but it was important to us because it carries a message: that we are still holding on to life despite all the bitterness and loss.”
Before the war, weddings in Gaza were large social events that included engagement parties, public announcements, musical gatherings known as “fadaous,” youth street celebrations, and hotel receptions, the report noted. Pre-wedding banquets often brought together extended family, neighbors, and friends.
Since roughly 93 percent of hotels and wedding halls were destroyed, celebrations are now held at private homes or modest venues, the report noted, adding that guest lists have been reduced and, in most cases, pre-wedding banquets have been canceled due to rising food and other necessities costs.
Sobhi Younis, 25, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that his wedding had been postponed several times due to the war and family losses. “The war imposed a harsh feeling that joy has become a heavy responsibility, especially when people around us are either martyrs or displaced,” he said.
“After postponing more than once, we held the wedding in mid-January in a very limited setting, no youth party, no banquets. We limited it to reciting Al-Fatiha, a small family gathering, and the marriage contract.”
Street celebrations that were once accompanied by popular performers have largely disappeared. Only limited gatherings are held quietly in consideration of the wider context of displacement and grief, the report said.
Reda A’rab, whose son Mohammad recently married, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that he felt both sadness and hope. “I wished to see my son in a grand celebration worthy of him, like his brothers, and as we used to do before. But reality has changed, Gaza has changed,” he said.
“We decided to hold a simple wedding out of respect for people’s pain and because the economic conditions allow nothing more. Even so, the mere fact that my son begins his life despite all this destruction is itself a joy and a clear message that the war did not succeed in stealing our hope.”
Although weddings in Gaza are now smaller and quieter than before, residents continue to hold ceremonies as a way to resume normal life after months of war, displacement, and loss, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
High unemployment persists in Gaza despite increased aid after ceasefire
Additionally, in Gaza, despite the October ceasefire and an increase in humanitarian assistance, unemployment in Gaza remains widespread, with the United Nations estimating the unemployment rate at 80% as the local economy operates at 13% of its prewar size, according to The Guardian.
Mansour Mohammad Bakr, 23, a former fisherman from Gaza City, said he has been unable to work since the conflict destroyed his boat and equipment, The Guardian reported. His brothers were killed during the war, and his father is no longer able to fish.
“Money is the main means of survival in Gaza … without it, a person cannot do anything,” Bakr told the outlet. “The limited aid that reaches us doesn’t replace our need for money in any way and doesn’t cover even the most basic living requirements.”
Since the ceasefire took effect in October, humanitarian organizations have expanded aid deliveries after Israel eased some restrictions. In January, UN agencies and their partners provided household-level food assistance to approximately 1.6 million people. The NGO World Central Kitchen is distributing one million hot meals daily, according to the report.
Aid workers told The Guardian that food supplies have increased, along with the availability of produce, meat, clothing, and other goods through commercial channels. However, prices remain high.
“There has been a huge increase in commercial supplies … but it is all very expensive,” Kate Charlton, a medical coordinator in Gaza City for Médecins Sans Frontières, told the paper.
Mohammed al-Far, 55, a former trader living in al-Mawasi, said his family receives one meal a day from aid groups.
“It’s either rice, lentils, or beans, and once or twice a week, some meat. Life requires cash to go on. We can get enough to eat … but transportation, haircuts, charging mobile phones, and buying vegetables and fruit all require money,” he said.
In November, Pedro Manuel Moreno, deputy secretary-general of the UN’s trade and development agency, said the war had “wiped out decades of progress” and described Gaza as going through “the fastest and most damaging economic collapse ever recorded.”
UN data shows that GDP per capita in Gaza fell in 2024 to $161 per year, among the lowest globally, the report said. The conflict damaged sanitation, transportation, electricity, and healthcare infrastructure, destroyed agricultural areas and greenhouses, and significantly reduced the fishing industry.
Bisan Mohammad, 23, who holds a degree in medical laboratory sciences, told The Guardian she has been unable to find employment since the war began. Her husband was killed early in the conflict. She now lives in a tent in Nuseirat with her parents and daughter.
“I began looking for any available job, but without success … everything needs money; even water, food, and bedding all require cash. Sometimes I feel that even breathing needs money,” she said.
According to Hamas-run Gaza health authorities, 586 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect, bringing the overall death toll to more than 72,000.
“What is being called a ‘ceasefire’ hasn’t changed our reality; in fact, it has made it worse,” Mohammad told The Guardian. “The media has stopped talking about the ongoing killing … while the bombardment continues … prices keep rising, and even basic necessities, when available, such as water and food, are barely sufficient."