"I have never seen such a sad Ramadan. No one is buying and no one is selling," vendor Emad Antar said as he was leaning over packs of cheese, jars and cans of meat in Gaza City's central market.
Antar bought the foodstuff from Egypt and brought them into Gaza through tunnels to sell them during the Muslims' holy month, when people are supposed to spend more money on food, but he did not make the expected profits because most of the Gaza people are "penniless."
"The people greet Ramadan with empty pockets," he said. "There are tons of food and goods in Gaza that are brought from Egypt through tunnels, but no one has money to buy."
Israel besieged the impoverished coastal enclave of Gaza since the Islamic Hamas movement seized power in June 2007, blocking the basic goods and materials to nearly 1.4 million Gazans, 60 percent of which are under poverty line, according to international humanitarian organizations' estimation.
Salem Ebid, 46, who is a father of nine, has been unwaged for six years. "I can not bring food to my kids. They don't go to school because I can not afford it," said Ebid who mainly depends on United Nations Relief and Works Agency's food aid.
"I don't know what to do. Ramadan is the month of food and joy and I have none of them," he lamented, almost on the verge of tears. "My kids have not eaten meat for more than five months."
Gazan economists believe that the Israeli sanctions on Gaza after the Hamas takeover coupled with worldwide inflation have resulted in widespread shortages and soaring food and fuel prices.
"The economic situation has never been worse," said Gazan economist Nawwaf Abed. "The Gaza Strip is troubled by the closure imposed on the strip that prevents the transfer of goods and hurts the ability of traders and workers to support their families."
Local merchant Ahmed Ayyob said he is making less than 15 percent of what he made last Ramadan. "People don't have money to buy," Ayyob said, adding that he would have to close his shop if the situation continues.
"The economic situation of people in Gaza has gone from bad to worse as Israel is tightening its siege on Gaza. It only allows us to import a small amount of things that are special for Ramadan," he said.
Though Gazans feel the impact of the closure at every moment of their life, the occasion of Ramadan only makes the impact more keenly-felt. "Ramadan is the time for nightly feasts, holiday treats, and family reunions, but now all of them are missing," said Majda Kuhail, a university student from Gaza City.
"Ramadan this year is like any other month, because you don't see anything that makes it special," he said.
Kuhail added that though there have always been economic hardships and political conflicts that make the usually festival Ramadan a miserable month for Palestinians, there was always joy that accompanies the Muslims' holy month, this year, however, "even joy is missing."
This new woe came as the a result of the ongoing political split between the two Palestinian rival groups of Fatah and Hamas. For all the Arab mediations, no solution is so far in sight.
"We didn't feel any happiness when Ramadan arrived," said Radiya, 42, who lost her son in the bloody fight in Gaza between Fatah and Hamas last year." How can we be happy when we are disunited ?" she wondered.
Like the majority of the Palestinians, Radiya believes that the political split between Hamas and Fatah is the major reason behind the siege and the suffering faced by the Palestinian people.
"They should reunite. The people pay the price of their differences." she said. "When they are united there will be no more suffering because we all know that the siege came after the Hamas' takeover."
Source:Xinhua
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