Amidst war and destruction there is marriage. It can only happen in Gaza. While Israeli warplanes continue to strike different parts of the enclave people are getting married!
It seems no one cares. The Israelis have just been subject to a mass missile and drone attacks and are licking their wounds and preparing for an imminent strike on Iran which the United States is urging them not to carry out; but apparently these don’t concern the displaced people of Dier Al Balah in central Gaza.
A young couple, Siham and Mahmoud Al Shawa just got married in a tent in Dier Al Balah to the merriment of a huge guest list coming to celebrate the event through traditional folk dancing despite the mass starvation.
They and their parents no longer care about the deadly seven-month war being meted out in them but insist on a going about their lives as best as they can. It’s a nonchalant attitude. If they are killed, it is their fate!
Meanwhile, Israel continues their strikes and destruction. Aside from mulling on the fact about what to do about Iran – with Israeli politicians and officers in a state of muddle and confusion – their army are continuing its bombing on Rafah and Jabalia. Despite the distance between them, the former in the far south and the latter in the upper north of the strip, the Israeli army just struck a mosque in Jabalia. What would they want from a mosque one might keep repeating? This is the umpteenth time!
Other homes surrounding the mosque were struck as with many injuries. Palestinian civil defense workers hurried to the scene frantically searching for survivors. One little girl was brought out from under the rubble. She was lucky to be rescued for there are thousands to continued to be buried under the rubble.
Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to face his critics. On Iran, members of the War Cabinet Benny Ganz and Gabby Eisenkot say the Israeli government shouldn’t dither on Iran and should counterattack immediately.
This is while Eisenkot, a former general and now politician who is an observer in the War Cabinet, is openly lambasting Netanyahu who continues to suggest that Israel is on the verge of a total victory in Gaza. He says such talk is totally “misguided”.
One thing for sure however, people in Gaza will continue to get hitched despite the difficult and strenuous circumstances of war. The weddings have been going on since the start of the onslaught on Gaza and will surely continue in the near future.
Dr Asmar is an Amman-based writer covering Middle East Affairs
