GAZA, April 13 (Reuters) – Within the hour earlier than sundown throughout Ramadan, Gaza’s roads turn out to be choked with vehicles as individuals sprint house in time to interrupt their quick with their households.
Pissed off drivers beep their horns or attempt to minimize by means of the gridlock, and there are extra accidents than ordinary as a complete day with out meals or water dulls focus and shortens tempers.
For these unfortunate sufficient to overlook breaking the quick altogether as they stand in strong site visitors, Ehab Ayyad is a welcome sight.
The Christian man from Gaza gives dates and water to Muslims held up in site visitors or late house to interrupt their quick, in step with the Prophet’s custom.
5 years in the past, Ayyad started by providing neighbours dates and water, the very first thing Muslims usually eat once they finish their quick at sundown, and determined to make the supply normal.
“As a Christian, I supply my Muslim brothers dates and water as a sort of sharing as a result of we’re residing in the identical homeland, and we now have the identical blood,” Ayyad, 23, informed Reuters, at his home, embellished with lanterns and small statues of the Virgin Mary. “They first puzzled how a Christian is doing that, however as days glided by, they obtained glad to see me yearly,” he stated.
“Reactions are optimistic and I’m glad and proud.”
Gaza, the coastal strip beneath an Israeli-led blockade since 2007 and run by the Islamist Hamas group, has solely round 1,000 Christians, most of them Greek Orthodox, in a inhabitants of two.3 million.
“It is not their month and so they do not quick however they really feel for us and that is one thing good,” stated espresso store proprietor Louay Al-Zaharna, after receiving one in every of Ayyad’s items.
At his home, Ayyad obtained assist from a 13-year-old Muslim neighbour to organize the packages.
“On our holidays, our Muslim neighbours come to go to and congratulate us, and we do the identical on their holidays,” Ayyad stated.
Reporting by Nidal Almughrabi
Modifying by Raissa Kasolowsky
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