- Title: Gazans with broken homes brace for Eid on top of rubble
- Date: 3rd June 2019
- Summary: GAZA CITY, GAZA (JUNE 2, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GAZA RESIDENT KHAMIS ZAYDEH, 52, FATHER OF 11, WALKING THROUGH RUBBLE OF HIS HOME DESTROYED DURING LATEST FIGHT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND ISLAMIC MOVEMENT HAMAS ZAYDEH AND FAMILY AT RENTED HOME VARIOUS OF MEMBERS OF ZAYDEH FAMILY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GAZA RESIDENT KHAMIS ZAYDEH, 52, FATHER OF 11, WHOSE HOME WAS DESTROYED DURING LATEST FIGHT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND ISLAMIC MOVEMENT HAMAS, SAYING: "Despite all the suffering, this boy (pointing to his son sitting on his leg) and the others should feel happy. I'm not only talking about my case, but about the cases of all residents in my building (that was destroyed in recent Israeli air strikes). They all have children, women, old people and [young] girls. They all want to make their children feel happy." ZAYEDH AT SCENE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GAZA RESIDENT KHAMIS ZAYDEH, 52, FATHER OF 11, WHOSE HOME WAS DESTROYED DURING LATEST FIGHT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND ISLAMIC MOVEMENT HAMAS, SAYING: "I want to celebrate Eid with my family and the people that love me on the ruins of my destroyed home, which was targeted and destroyed by the occupation. I want to lay out chairs and get together with my family, in-laws and people who love and respect me. I want to meet them there, so they can share my tragedy and my suffering with me." PEOPLE AT MARKET VARIOUS OF ZAYDEH FAMILY AT MARKET PEOPLE AT MARKET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GAZA RESIDENT DUNIA ZAYDEH,45, WHO LOST HER HOME IN THE LATEST FIGHT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS, SAYING: "When our home was targeted, my son wanted to go back and retrieve his suit. I was not aware of what was happening. His sister prevented him from going and everything that I bought for Eid [was lost]. Now I have to go and buy [everything] again. I don't want to do that but I am forced to do so. This is a child, what is his sin?" FOUR-YEAR-OLD CHILD OF ZAYDEH FAMILY RAFAH, GAZA (JUNE 2, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PALESTINIAN BOYS BLOWING UP BALLOONS TO BE HUNG OVER RUINS OF HOUSE DESTROYED IN RECENT ISRAELI AIR STRIKES, AHEAD OF EID AL-FITR, IN SOUTHERN GAZA STRIP VARIOUS OF CHILD HOLDING BALLOON VARIOUS OF PEOPLE HANGING BALLOONS OVER RUINS OF HOUSE DESTROYED IN RECENT ISRAELI AIR STRIKES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GAZA RESIDENT, RYIAD ZUROB, SAYING: "The atmosphere of Eid is not like what it used to be in previous years. Last year, we were inside our home and people came to us to celebrate. Now without a home, how and where will we receive visitors? This Eid is not like every year." VARIOUS OF BALLOONS DECORATING RUINS OF HOUSE DESTROYED IN RECENT ISRAELI AIR STRIKES
- Embargoed: 17th June 2019 14:39
- Keywords: Palestinians Gaza Israel fighting Hamas destruction
- Location: GAZA CITY AND RAFAH, GAZA
- City: GAZA CITY AND RAFAH, GAZA
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001AHSCQC5
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: With Eid al-Fitr around the corner, Gaza resident Khamis Zaydeh and his family are adamant to celebrate Muslims first feast season of the year despite losing their house in the recent Israeli strikes on the blockaded enclave.
Zaydeh, 52, father of 11, says he wants his 4-year-old boy to feel the blessings of Eid, just like others in his age.
"This boy and the others should feel happy," he said while the young boy sat on his leg.
Zaydeh's house was shot on May 5. His wife, Dunia Zaydeh, 45, recalled how the 4-year-old boy ran back towards the falling house to rescue his Eid clothes.
"His sister prevented him from going and everything that I bought for Eid [was lost]," she said.
"Now I have to go and buy [everything] again. I don't want to do that but I am forced to do so. This is a child, what is his sin?" she added.
The latest round of hostilities between Israel and the Islamic movement Hamas who controls Gaza, erupted in May when rockets and missiles from Hamas Islamist-run Gaza killed four civilians in Israel, local health officials said.
Israeli strikes killed 21 Palestinians, over half of them civilians, at the weekend, Gaza health authorities said.
Thirteen families lost their homes in Gaza in the latest round of fight in the strip, according to the Palestinian centre for Human Rights, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Gaza City.
Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and is expected to fall on Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the time the crescent of the new month of the Islamic calendar is sighted.
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