Published On 5/28/2026
With the advent of Eid al-Adha, Palestinian Nadia Abu Jalhoum, an elderly woman from Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip, left her tent, heading towards the Faluja cemetery to visit her children and grandchildren who were martyred during the war. She walks slowly among the graves, before sitting near the graves of her children, reciting Al-Fatihah, and raising her hands in supplication.
The elderly Palestinian woman tells Al Jazeera that she has been keen to visit the cemetery every Eid since their loss, considering that the visit has become part of the Eid rituals for her after the war.
Children and grandchildren in graves
Nadia explains that Eid is no longer what it was in previous years, when the family used to gather inside the house, and the children and grandchildren visited each other, while today for her it has become associated with the cemetery and remembering the absent, including her sons Anwar (42 years old), Ahmed (30 years old), Khamis (26 years old), and her daughter Sahira (19 years old), in addition to her grandson, the child Moaz, who was five years old when he was martyred.
She adds that her family members were not killed at the same time, but rather at close intervals during the war, explaining that the time interval between the killing of one of her sons and the other was about ten days, wondering, “Which mother can bear this? There are 10 days between the martyr and the martyr. The last person I lost was my grandson, the child Moaz.”
According to Nadia, the loss of children not only changed the form of Eid, but also changed the form of the daily life of the entire family, especially with the presence of young children who lost their fathers during the war.
She says that the children of the martyrs still talk about their fathers constantly, and ask about them on occasions, especially during the holidays, when they see other children with their parents or during the exchange of family visits.
Lost and tragic situation
Nadia’s suffering is not limited to the loss of her children, as the family is currently living in a tent after their home was destroyed during the war, in difficult living conditions. She points out that life inside the tent lacks many basic needs, especially with the high temperatures, the lack of water, and the difficulty of providing the necessities of daily life.
The family also resides in an area close to the “yellow line” in the northern Gaza Strip, where the Israeli occupation forces are stationed, which raises continuing fears among residents due to the frequent shooting in the area, according to their description.
Despite the security and living conditions, Nadia says that she insists on visiting the cemetery every Eid.
From the cemetery to the tent
While many residents leave to exchange visits or celebrate the holiday, Nadia quietly ends her visit to the cemetery, before returning to her tent, where she stays with members of her family who survived the war.
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced today, Thursday, that the death toll from the Israeli occupation’s aggression against the Strip had risen to 72,819 martyrs and 172,894 injured since October 7, 2023.
She added that the number of martyrs since the collapse of the ceasefire last March had risen to 922 martyrs, in addition to 2,786 injuries.
