Gazan families preserve tradition of Ramadan by the sea

GAZA: Throughout the 14 years of the Israeli blockade, and regular power outages, Gazans have headed down to the Gaza Strip’s seashore during the holy month of Ramadan.
Before Maghrib prayer, hundreds of families make their way to the beach to end their daily fast at sunset with their iftar meal in a fun atmosphere.
Muhammad Tafesh, who has been enjoying the tradition for many years, said: “The sea is the only outlet for the majority of the population of the Gaza Strip.”
Last Ramadan, a power cut meant Tafesh and his family of five had to break their fast in candlelight, but the Palestinian Authority employee said iftar by the sea not only brought him great pleasure but was inexpensive.
Over years of blockade and internal division, the majority of the 2 million population of the Gaza Strip have learned to live with constant electricity cuts, and around 80 percent of them depend on humanitarian and relief aid for their livelihood, at a time when the poverty rate exceeds more than 60 percent.
For Tafesh and many others, a trip to the seaside is a cheap form of entertainment.
Akram Hammad, another Palestinian Authority worker, said: “Iftar on the beach takes on simplicity, which is the essence of the session, and therefore I like to go there with my family several times during the month of Ramadan. It helps to ease some of the complications and crises of life.

“Iftar on the beach is a picnic, not only for children but for everyone, and can be enjoyed without a great cost. It is a homemade iftar with fun and drinks.”
Hammad, who lives in the southern Gaza Strip with his family of four, said that staying at home was unbearable due to the lack of electricity, and after many hours of fasting the seashore remained the preferred destination for many families.
And the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had little if any impact on the Palestinian tradition of Ramadan by the sea.
Since mid-March, the Hamas-led authorities have implemented strict precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including limiting large gatherings on the seashore and suspending Friday prayers in mosques.
While Hammad did not intend to stop visiting the beach during Ramadan he said that quarantine had brought about new habits around the home for husbands and fathers.

“We (men) have been spending hours in the kitchen, helping to prepare food, cleaning the house and getting to know the strange habits of our children, as if we were seeing them for the first time. Homes, for us, were like hotels, where we just ate and slept.”
He added that he could not imagine Ramadan without taraweeh prayers, crowded markets and youthful evenings.