The loss was particularly harsh for Haya; she arrived in Qatar in December 2023, after her parents were fatally wounded in the Israeli airstrikes. She is now living with paraplegia as a result of the injuries sustained during the attacks.
Her fate is shared by her other family members: one sister is receiving treatment in Türkiye for her own injuries, while two other sisters and a brother remain in Gaza, caught in the midst of the conflict.
“This isn’t how I envisioned celebrating Ramadan,” Haya reflects. “Back home, we would gather, feast, and play games. The sense of togetherness and joy is missing this year since the war tore us apart.”
Haya’s story is far from isolated. Since October 2023, the Israeli-Gaza conflict has orphaned over 38,000 Palestinians, underscoring a tragedy of immense proportions.
Approximately 1,400 Palestinians, nearly half of whom are wounded, have sought refuge in Doha. They are currently staying in a compound located in Thumama, just outside the Qatari capital.
While Ramadan is traditionally a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and bonding with family for Muslims worldwide, for these Palestinian refugees in Doha, it is a painful reminder of their forced separation from their families still in Gaza.
12-year-old Hamsa al-Raqp, who lost her left eye and fractured her right arm in an attack, nostalgically recalls the joy of playing with her cousins during Ramadan in Gaza.
Her father, Maher, shared the family’s current reality: “We didn’t celebrate last Ramadan amidst the ongoing violence. Instead, I spent my days glued to the TV, anxiously waiting to confirm my family’s safety. Even this year’s Ramadan feels insignificant since my wife and three children are not here with me.”
