New clothes for children, sacrificial sheep, and Eid biscuits—the hallmarks of the Muslim holiday—are all either unaffordable or unavailable in Gaza, casting a shadow over what is usually a time of celebration and joy. The ongoing conflict and economic devastation have turned the festival into a period of sorrow and struggle for many Palestinian families.
Residents Struggle to Afford Basics
“I go to the market only to look around because I cannot afford to buy anything. Whenever I ask about prices, I return heartbroken,” said Nadia Abu Shamala, a 40-year-old Palestinian woman from northern Gaza who has been displaced to Deir Al-Balah for over two years. “This year, Eid comes with none of the joy we once knew in Gaza because of the effects of the war, the soaring prices, and our inability to provide even the simplest needs for our children.”
Despite a US-brokered ceasefire that began in October 2025, Israeli air strikes remain common in Gaza. According to the United Nations, 80 percent of buildings were damaged in the war, and most of the population depends on aid for basic needs. Israel controls all entry points to Gaza, allowing only limited trucks of foreign aid and private sector goods, which fails to alleviate war-inflated prices or shortages, according to NGOs on the ground.
Sheep Shortage and Skyrocketing Prices
Central to Eid Al-Adha celebrations, which mark the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah, is the sacrificing of a sheep. However, in Gaza, livestock cannot enter from outside, and only one quarter of the pre-war sheep population remains—about 15,000 for the coastal territory’s 2.1 million inhabitants, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“Regarding prices this year, sacrificial animals are witnessing an unprecedented increase due to the limited supply and the rising costs of breeding, feed, and transportation, and the shutdown of many farms,” said Raafat Asaliya, spokesperson for Gaza’s agriculture ministry. As a result, “a sheep or goat that was sold before the war for around 1,000 shekels is now priced between 11,000 and 15,000 shekels.”
Gazans expressed shock at the prices. “We have never heard of such prices in our lives,” said Ahmed Abu Salem, a 50-year-old resident of Gaza City. “Families like ours, who used to make sacrifices every year, are now unable even to buy one kilogram of meat for our children.”
A Glimmer of Celebration Amid Hardship
Some families still strive to observe traditions. Abu Abdullah Al-Mosadar, 59, pooled around 13,000 shekels ($4,570) with his brother to buy a sheep for sacrifice—an amount that very few Gazans can afford. “I know it is very expensive, but I decided to perform the sacrifice this year,” said Mosadar, a former property dealer from central Gaza. He hopes to restart his construction and real estate business when circumstances permit.
In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, one family managed to prepare trays of maamoul, the Eid biscuits, under a makeshift shelter covered in a reused tarp bearing the UNICEF logo. Sitting on the ground, a woman and her daughter assembled the dough in Gaza-style circles, before a man baked them in a makeshift clay oven.
Living in Tents with No Joy
With gas in short supply, baking and cooking at home becomes an issue. “The markets are mostly filled with kaak, maamoul, and sweets. We used to dream of making them at home as we always did before, but prices have risen sharply and there is no cooking gas available to bake them,” said Abu Ahmed Wafi, a 42-year-old displaced man in southern Gaza.
From her tent in Deir El-Balah, an exhausted Shamala hoped for better days. “We are still living in tents with no atmosphere of joy, only worries, fear, and exhaustion, without any of the happiness we once knew,” she said.
