Citizens queue for food aid in Rafah. According to the United Nations, more than half a million people in Gaza are a “step away” from famine.— TNS
ORDINARILY, the days leading up to Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims give up food and drink from dawn to dusk, are exuberant. My younger children and I would prepare “iftar jars” and food baskets with Ramadan staples, such as dates, nuts and apricot paste, to hand out to neighbours. We’d decorate the house and send invitations for iftar, the meal when we break our fast, to friends and family.
But this year, as Palestinians with family in Gaza, our enthusiasm has been overshadowed with overwhelming grief. Ramadan begins this week. No decorations have made their way out of the basement and no baskets have been distributed.
