Gaza Readies For ‘Sweet’ Ramadan

CrossFireArabia
Features
February 13, 2026

As the Islamic holy month of Ramadan set to start next week, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are preparing to mark the fasting month by reviving the tradition of making Qatayef on makeshift wood-fired stoves.

In Gaza, the arrival of the holy month is not counted in days, but sensed in the aroma of this classic Palestinian dessert once again filling the markets after two years of devastating war.

In the “Garage Rafah Market” in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which used to be crowded with shoppers before the Israeli war, a number of shop owners are trying to revive their businesses as the fasting month approaches. Among them are Qatayef makers who have returned to lighting wood stoves amid the rubble.

In the middle of widespread destruction and near areas still occupied by Israel east of the city, shop owners continue their work under difficult conditions, including shortages of fuel and gas.

Deep-rooted Ramadan tradition

With more than 20 years of experience, Salim Al-Bayouk — known as the “King of Qatayef” in the market — continues to prepare the dessert by hand despite scarce resources and the lack of basic materials.

Bayouk, 54, told Anadolu that he began the business in the city of Rafah before moving to Khan Younis after Israel occupied the city, expressing his determination to continue despite the difficult circumstances.

Qatayef is considered “the queen of Ramadan desserts” among Palestinians, distinguished by its ease of preparation and low cost. It consists of a small pancake filled with nuts, cheese, or dates, then baked and soaked in sugar syrup.

Bayouk said during Ramadan, his work primarily depends on cooking gas, requiring about 25 kg daily. However, supply shortages have forced him to rely on wood in order to continue his profession.

Since a ceasefire agreement came into effect in October, Israel has allowed limited quantities of cooking gas into Gaza, while the enclave needs 20 truckloads daily, according to local officials.

Despite shortages and rising operating costs, Palestinians insist on continuing, rejecting displacement and holding fast to Ramadan traditions they refuse to let disappear from their city.

Bayouk said he reduced the price per kilogram to 10 shekels (about $3) and provides work for 10 to 15 workers during the season, emphasizing his commitment to remain despite the damage to his shop and his reliance on makeshift repairs.

Hundreds of other Palestinians across different parts of the Gaza Strip also continue this seasonal profession among tents, narrow alleys, and crowded camps.

They set up makeshift stoves and light wood fires to compensate for gas shortages, attempting to revive a Ramadan ritual they are accustomed to despite the restrictions.

Basic dish

For his part, Saeed Khalaf, 38, said that the street where the market is located used to be packed with shoppers before the war, and it was nearly impossible to walk through due to the crowding.

“Qatayef remains a basic dish on every family’s Ramadan table,” Khalaf said, expressing hope for the restoration of normal life, and the actual implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire deal.

The ceasefire ended an Israeli offensive that began in October 2023 and lasted two years, killing over 72,000 Palestinians and wounding over 171,000 others, while destroying about 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure.

Despite the ceasefire deal, the Israeli army has continued to violate it, killing at least 591 Palestinians and injuring more than 1,578 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry

The US announced in mid-January the launch of the second phase of the agreement after delays, saying the plan includes further Israeli troop withdrawals, transitional governance arrangements for Gaza, and the start of reconstruction efforts.

By Serdar Dincel for Anadolu

CrossFireArabia

Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

Features

Jordan Footballers Delighted For World Cup Matches

CrossFireArabia
June 9, 2026

The qualification of Jordan’s national football team for the FIFA World Cup for the first time has sparked ambitions far beyond mere participation, with many Jordanians expressing confidence that the team can make a deep run in the tournament.

The World Cup will be hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, with Jordan drawn in Group J alongside Argentina, Algeria and Austria.

In interviews conducted by Anadolu in the Jordanian capital, citizens voiced optimism that the team can achieve unprecedented success on the global stage.

“When I see Jordan’s flag flying among the flags of nations around the world, it fills me with pride to be Jordanian,” said taxi driver Ahmad Al-Khalayleh. “Jordan is strong everywhere and will always remain at the forefront, and its flag will continue to fly high, God willing.”

Al-Khalayleh said the national team had faced unfair treatment in previous tournaments but was ready to meet expectations.

“I promise you that Jordan will leave a distinctive mark in its opening match against Austria, and the players will compete with one spirit and one heart,” he said.

Wadie Al-Qaisi, a young supporter, said he hoped the tournament would showcase Jordan’s growing football stature.

“We want the entire world to recognize Jordan’s value and the strength of its national team, and how capable it is of breaking records and achieving the ambitions of the Jordanian people,” he said. “We hope to reach the highest levels at the World Cup.”

Another fan, Aboud Al-Deek, said Jordanians were celebrating a historic achievement.

“We are very optimistic about the national team players reaching this advanced stage and qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time,” he said. “The entire Jordanian people are happy about this achievement, and we look forward to seeing an outstanding and impressive performance.”

Haitham Al-Dajaah said the team’s success should encourage greater investment in youth football development.

“As fans and members of the sporting community, we hope to see greater attention given to youth and junior development programs so that we can compete in the advanced stages of future World Cups,” he said. “With ambition, determination and perseverance, we will be a formidable force at the World Cup, God willing.”

Young supporter Hamza Salah expressed the highest hopes of all.

“There is a sense of optimism that the national team will advance to the later stages, such as the quarterfinals or semifinals, and even win the trophy, God willing,” he said. “Jordan is capable of achieving that.” Anadolu

Features

Diving in a War Zone

CrossFireArabia
June 8, 2026

By Jing Zhang

When US and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran on 28 February, triggering one of the most serious geopolitical crises in years, the Strait of Hormuz – a narrow channel just 34 kilometres wide at its narrowest point – became a global flashpoint overnight.

Iran closed the waterway to foreign shipping, attacking merchant vessels and cutting off around 20 per cent of the world’s seaborne oil trade. Some 20,000 seafarers were stranded in the Persian Gulf. The UN Secretary-General called for an immediate ceasefire.

Beneath all of it, the fish kept swimming.

Back in the water

Three Chinese divers based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – diving instructor Rui Li, freediver Shanshan Du and technical diver Jie Zhang – had been locked out of the water for weeks by the coastal closure. When a ceasefire allowed limited access in mid-April, they went straight back in.

World Oceans Day, marked each year on 8 June, carries the theme this year of Reimagining the Relationship Between Humans and the Ocean. For these three, that reimagining is anything but abstract.

“We were actually a little worried before setting off,” says Du, who dived the narrowest stretch between the UAE and Oman on 18 April, just days after the UN welcomed Iran’s announcement that the strait would be open to commercial vessels during the ceasefire.

“But after more than two months, we all felt it was fantastic to be able to dive again. We encountered a large group of dolphins. There was none of the war-torn atmosphere I had imagined – only peace and beauty before my eyes.”

Zhang, who dived the area as recently as last week, describes coral diversity she has rarely encountered elsewhere – soft and hard corals varying with the topography, and sea turtles gathered in such numbers they evoked a nature reserve.

A person in a scuba diving suit and mask makes a peace sign against the ocean and blue sky. — Courtesy of Jie Zhang. Jie Zhang is back from the depths, feeling the warmth of the sun.

Troubling signs

She also noticed something more troubling. “I saw more white debris on the seabed than before,” she says, uncertain of its origin. And when she and her companions followed dolphins near the eastern side of the strait, the water around the animals was streaked with green algae, oil fumes and floating rubbish.

“I recalled that when I used to chase dolphins, the water was blue. Seeing this scene with my own eyes is still very heartbreaking.”

Li is careful to hold both realities at once. The strait is not the world’s most biodiverse marine zone, he notes, but its complex topography sustains coral reefs of unusual variety – formations “as white as silver needles” alongside colonies “as purple as pine forests” – as well as seahorses, whale sharks and species rarely seen elsewhere.

He describes witnessing a boat captain who, unable to dive and with no other means of communication, could reliably find a pod of dolphins that seemed to recognise him. “We would greet each other and then go our separate ways,” Li says. “This place is truly magical.”

A wide bay with deep blue water, bordered by arid, rocky mountains and a small coastal settlement on the right. — ©Jie Zhang Overlooking the Strait of Hormuz from the Musandam Peninsula, Oman.

Potential catastrophe

Yet he is also acutely aware of what armed conflict can do to such a place. An attack on oil storage facilities, he points out, could be catastrophic for marine life. “Many marine organisms are small and vulnerable. A single attack could be enough to wipe out some amazing species that have never been seen by humans.”

Zhang frames the underwater world’s vulnerability in blunt terms. “No one can speak for the underwater ecosystem – fish can’t speak, and neither can large animals.

“We dump all the disputes, wars and pollution on land onto the ocean, ignoring the fact that the ocean has no good self-protection capabilities and can only bear all the conflicts and damage caused by human activities.”

Diving has quietly dissolved certain certainties for all three. “Underwater, the ocean has no borders,” says Zhang. “Ocean currents and schools of fish move freely. When whale sharks cruise, they follow fixed routes through different countries – they are free. Humanity should share this blue world instead of tearing it apart with disputes.”

A person in a wetsuit and goggles floats in the ocean, adjusting their mask with both hands. — ©Jie Zhang Rui Li makes a heart gesture to his dive buddy on the water’s surface, which also stands for “OK” in diving hand signal terms.

Mother ocean

Li reaches for a different metaphor – warmer, and perhaps more honest about the limits of human agency. The relationship between people and the sea, he suggests, is something like that between a child and a parent: the ocean sustains us, nurtures us, occasionally punishes us.

“We have grown old enough to want to protect it, he says, yet what we can actually do remains small. “Our parents are still quietly waiting for us, helping us, and continuing to nurture us.”

Du, diving in a country where people of dozens of nationalities converge, has found that underwater, borders feel beside the point. Communication happens through gesture alone. “Because of this hobby, and because of the ocean, it has created a wonderful environment for us.”

The conflicts raging above the surface have not ended. Talks between Washington and Tehran remain fragile, conditions volatile. But 71 per cent of the Earth is ocean – and, as Li says to anyone who has yet to see it: come and touch the refreshing water whenever you can.