KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Eman Hassan Lawwa wore traditional Palestinian prints and Hikmat Lawwa wore a dress as they walked hand in hand through the shattered buildings in southern Gaza in a line of other couples dressed exactly the same.
The 27-year-old Palestinians were among 54 couples to marry Tuesday in a mass wedding in war-torn Gaza that represented a rare moment of hope after two years of devastation, death and conflict.
“Despite everything that happened, we will start a new life,” said Lawwa. “God willing, this will be the end of the war.”
Weddings are a key part of Palestinian culture that became rare in Gaza during the war. The tradition has begun to resume after a fragile ceasefire, even if the weddings are different from the elaborate ceremonies that once took place in the territory.
As cheering crowds waved Palestinian flags in the southern town of Khan Younis, celebrations were dampened by the ongoing crisis across Gaza. Most of Gaza’s 2 million residents, including Eman and Hikmet, have been displaced by the war, entire areas of cities have been flattened and the lack of aid and the outbreak of conflict continue to affect people’s daily lives.
The young couple, who are distant relatives, fled to the nearby town of Deir al-Balah during the war and struggled to find basics like food and shelter. They said that they do not know how they will build their lives together because of the situation around them.
“We want to be happy like the rest of the world. I used to dream of having a house, a job, and being like everyone else,” said Hikmet. “Today, my dream is to find a tent to live in.”
“Life has started to come back, but not like we hoped it would,” he added.
The celebration was funded by Al Fares Al Shahim, a humanitarian aid operation supported by the United Arab Emirates. In addition to organizing the event, the organization offered couples a small sum of money and other supplies to start their lives together.
For Palestinians, weddings are often elaborate day-long celebrations, seen as both an important social and economic choice that spells the future for many families. These include joyful dances and street processions by large families in lise cloth designs by the couple and their loved ones and thick plates of food.
Weddings can also be a symbol of resilience and celebration of new generations of families carrying on Palestinian traditions, said Randa Serhan, a sociology professor at Barnard College who has studied Palestinian weddings.
“With every new wedding will come children and this means that the memories and lineage will not die,” said Serhan. “Couples will continue life in an impossible situation.”
On Tuesday, a procession of cars carrying the couples drove through stretches of collapsed buildings. Hikmat and Eman waved Palestinian flags with other couples while the families surrounding them danced to the crowd’s music.
Lawwa and Eman, who on Tuesday was dressed in a traditional white, red and green dress, said that the wedding offered them a small moment of relief after years of suffering.
But Eman said that it was also characterized by the loss of her father, mother, and other family members who were killed during the war.
“It’s hard to experience joy after such grief,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “God willing, we will rebuild brick by brick.”
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Janetsky reported from Jerusalem.