Ramadan in Gaza: Does the Crescent Moon Still Rise Amid Gunfire?

A Crescent Moon Over the Ruins

Every year when Ramadan begins, the Arab world buzzes with excitement. Streets are draped in colorful lights, and families gather around the iftar (evening meal breaking the fast) table. But this Ramadan, beneath the crescent moon hanging over Gaza's night sky, flames replace decorations, and sirens replace laughter.

On March 10, 2026, the first week of Ramadan has begun on the Islamic calendar. During this sacred period when 2 billion Muslims worldwide observe fasting and prayer for a month, Palestinians in Gaza are being forced into a different kind of fasting — not by choice, but through blockade and starvation-induced hunger.

Ramadan: Its True Meaning

Ramadan is not simply a "month of going hungry." The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is the month when Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Quran, making it the most sacred time of the year for Muslims. From dawn to sunset, they abstain from food, water, and smoking, while strengthening prayer, charity, and community bonds. Iftar, in particular, is a symbolic meal shared with family and neighbors.

Historically, there have been instances of Ramadan ceasefires even during wartime. The 1973 Yom Kippur War (called the "Ramadan War" by the Egyptian and Syrian side) actually began during Ramadan, but for decades afterward, this month was considered a window for negotiations. However, since 2024, Ramadan ceasefires in the Gaza conflict have repeatedly fallen through, and 2026 is no exception.

Gaza's Iftar: Sharing What Little There Is

Currently, many areas in northern Gaza still face restricted humanitarian access. According to reports from UN agencies, a significant portion of residents cannot even manage one proper meal a day. Nevertheless, communal iftar meals are being held throughout refugee tent camps. People bake bread from remaining flour, share a bottle of olive oil brought by a neighbor, and offer Maghrib (evening) prayers.

Palestinian Islamic scholars have also issued legal rulings (fatwas) on this situation: "In the face of extreme survival threats, the obligation to fast may be waived." Yet many residents insist on fasting. Because faith is their last remaining dignity.

The International Community's Gaze and Double Standards

Ramadan is also a time when diplomatic tensions between the Arab world and the West traditionally escalate. Issues such as restrictions on worship at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, intensified checkpoints in the West Bank, and the continuation of the Gaza blockade come under the spotlight. This year too, several Islamic countries issued statements demanding an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan, but they hold no real binding power. The reality that "Ramadan diplomacy" remains merely symbolic is deeply regrettable.

Films and Dramas About the Middle East

Several works have brought Palestine's reality to the screen. Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad's "Omar" (2013) is set in the occupied West Bank, telling the story of a young man experiencing love and betrayal amid checkpoints and barriers. The protagonist's isolation from family during Ramadan eerily overlaps with the isolation Gaza residents now endure. However, the film focuses on individual interiority, giving it a different texture from the collective humanitarian crisis.

"Gaza" (2019) is a documentary that closely follows daily life of ordinary people under blockade in 2018 Gaza. The sequences featuring Ramadan scenes vividly convey the paradox of celebration and sorrow coexisting in Gaza.

"Paradise Now" (2005), also by director Abu-Assad, delves into the psychology of two young men driven to despair. While the context differs from the current situation, it remains a relevant text for understanding "the inner world of people whose options have vanished."

Beneath the Crescent Moon, a Human Face

Ramadan asks us: what is empathy? Fasting is an act of briefly experiencing hunger to remember those in poverty. This Ramadan, the crescent moon hanging in Gaza's night sky sharpens that question to a finer edge. Faith does not disappear even amid ruins. And as long as that faith endures, it means there are still people there.