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By:
Associated Press
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Translated by: Flutura Gashi-Mehmeti
- December 4, 2025 12:24
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Dressed in traditional Palestinian clothing and suits, Eman Hassan Lawwa and Hikmat Lawwa walked hand in hand past the ruined buildings of southern Gaza in a line of couples dressed just like them.
The 27-year-old Palestinians were among 54 couples on Tuesday who tied the knot in a mass wedding ceremony in war-torn Gaza, which represented a rare moment of hope after two years of destruction, death and conflict.
"I am very happy that my wedding, instead of being in two years, will be tomorrow, thanks to God and thanks to the places that made this possible," says one of the grooms, Hikmat Lawwa.
Weddings are an important part of Palestinian culture, which have become extremely rare in Gaza during the war.
"It's hard for someone to be happy after such a long sadness, but we say: 'God will compensate'. Thank God, my compensation in this life was my fiancé. With God's will, our future life will be beautiful," says Hikmat's daughter-in-law, Eman Hassan Lawwa.
Roaring crowds waved Palestinian flags in the southern city of Khan Younis, celebrations overshadowed by the ongoing crisis in war-torn Gaza.
The celebrations took place in the city where masses of people were displaced from their homes during the war and were organized and funded by Al Fares Al Shahim, a humanitarian aid operation in Gaza from the United Arab Emirates.
In addition to hosting the event, the organization provided the couples with a small amount of money and other supplies to start their lives together.
Most of Gaza's 2 million residents have been displaced by the war, and the lack of aid and flare-ups in the conflict continue to affect the daily lives of people like Hikmat and Eman, who fled to the city of Deir al-Balah during the war and have struggled to find basic necessities like food and shelter. They said they don't know how they will build their lives together given the situation around them.
On Tuesday, a procession of cars carrying the couples passed through parts of collapsed buildings. Hikmat and Eman waved Palestinian flags with other couples, as families around them danced to music that blared over the crowd.
Lawwa and Eman, who was dressed in traditional white, red and green attire on Tuesday, said the wedding offered them a small moment of relief after years of suffering.
But Eman said everything was also overshadowed by the loss of her father, mother and other family members who were killed during the war.
"My joy is very, very incomplete, first of all, because my family is not here. I wish they were here," adds Hassan Lawwa.
For Palestinians, weddings are day-long celebrations that are seen as an important social and economic choice that determines the future for many families.
They include dancing and other joyful actions through the streets by large families, colorful cloth patterns worn by the couple and their loved ones, and plates filled with food.