KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip: Eman Hassan Lawwa wore traditional Palestinian designs and Hikmat Lawwa donned a suit as they walked hand in hand through the crumbling buildings of southern Gaza, joining a line of other couples dressed similarly.
The 27-year-old Palestinians were among 54 couples married Tuesday in a mass wedding in war-torn Gaza, providing a rare moment of hope after two years of devastation, death, and fighting. Due to everything that has taken place, we will begin a new life,” Lawwa told the crowd. “God willing, this will mark the end of the conflict.
Weddings are an important element of Palestinian culture, but they have become increasingly rare in Gaza due to the fighting. The practice has begun to revive in the aftermath of a tenuous ceasefire, though the weddings differ from the grandiose celebrations traditionally held in the area.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza dampened celebrations in the southern city of Khan Younis, where cheering crowds waved Palestinian flags. The war has uprooted the majority of Gaza’s 2 million citizens, including Eman and Hikmet, leveled entire communities, and assistance shortages and spurts of violence continue to afflict people’s daily lives.
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