A Palestinian couple held a wedding ceremony in a UN shelter in Gaza City after they were displaced following the Israeli genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
The marriage was originally scheduled for October 7 and naturally had to be postponed. But Majed al-Durra, 23, and Sarah Abu Toha, 19, insisted on holding a small ceremony in the presence of members of both families, even during the war.
When the news spread, however, that the marriage was still taking place, it turned into an act of defiance by hundreds of Palestinians, also displaced by the war.
Palestinians, almost every single one of them, who have lost a family member, a friend or a neighbor, used the opportunity to convey the strength and resilience of Palestinian culture, as they all celebrated the auspicious occasion.
Our Home was Destroyed
Majed and Sarah got engaged last January and they planned to hold their wedding on the first day of the war, but the Israeli aggression destroyed the small house they had built as their future home.
“I held my wedding ceremony in one of the schools that were turned into shelters,” Majed told Anadolu News Agency.
“We hoped to celebrate our wedding in the best places in the Strip, we organized a beautiful wedding ceremony,” he added.
“A small house was ready for us to move in, but the occupation army bombed it and destroyed it. Here, at the school, we do not have enough clothes or bedding.”
“My wife’s wish was to wear a white dress,” Majed said.
The first wedding rising between the rubbles, hosted by the displaced people of Gaza inside the UNRWA school In Khan yonis in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/QBLXm0FSC0
— The Palestinian (@InsiderWorld_1) November 28, 2023
Joy among Bombs
For her part, Sarah said: “I prepared every detail ahead of my wedding ceremony, but the war destroyed everything.”
Despite the difficult circumstances, however, Majed and Sarah did not allow Israel’s war to deprive them of the joy of getting married.
According to United Nations figures, over 1.7 million Palestinians have been forced to leave their homes due to Israel’s war.
Until a temporary ceasefire was announced on Friday, November 24, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that over 15,000 Palestinians, including over 6,150 children and more than 4,000, with another 36,000 wounded.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
