Eman, who was cloaked in a white, red and green traditional dress, said the wedding offered a small moment of relief after years of suffering. But she said it was also marked by the loss of her father, mother, and other family members who were killed by Israel. “It’s hard to experience joy after such sorrow,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “God willing, we will rebuild brick-by-brick.” Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed nearly 70,000 victims in Gaza, mostly women and children, and injured more than 170,900 in the more than two-year war that has left much of the enclave in ruins.
Thousands of Palestinians have turned out in Gaza’s Khan Younis to celebrate the wedding of 54 couples who had been unable to tie the knot during Israel’s bombardment of the strip. People scrambled to secure whatever vantage point they could reach, even climbing over the crumbled ruins of buildings, to watch the spectacle. With as much precision and planning as could be managed after two years of war, the couples lined up to enter the ceremony — the women dressed in matching white gowns with red and gold embroidery, and the men in dark suits and maroon ties.
