Another sombre Ramadan far from home (2025)
Story for Al Jazeera English: https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2025/2/28/gaza-war-survivors-mark-another-sombre-ramadan-far-from-home
(Consent was obtained from both the Palestinian families and Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs before publishing.)
This year's Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan was overshadowed by grief for Palestinian evacuees in Doha, Qatar. For them, it is another year of separation from loved ones and their homeland in Gaza. Ramadan, traditionally a time of unity, family celebrations and spiritual reflection, is now another painful reminder of what had been lost, since they were forced to leave Gaza behind.
Since the war began on Gaza in October 2023, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed or injured. More than 38,000 children orphaned. Among the displaced, more than 1,400 have been evacuated to Qatar, nearly 500 of them with serious injuries, including many young children. They who now live in temporary housing on the outskirts of Doha, far from their families, communities, and homeland.
In this sacred month of fasting, prayer, and family unity, Ramadan instead underscores absence and separation for these displaced Palestinians in Doha. Families who once broke the fast together at sunset now eat in silence, remembering their loved ones who lost their lives in the war. Children who used to spend the evenings playing with cousins and friends now find themselves confined to unfamiliar apartments. Parents worry constantly about relatives still living under bombardment. They anxiously check their phones for messages from relatives and watch television news reports, waiting for information about their loved ones.
Yet in this painful exile, faith and hope remain. Through prayers and moments of quiet reflection, the hope of reunion and return endures. Even far from home, the spiritual essence of Ramadan offers strength, a reminder that resilience persists despite displacement and loss.
Haya al-Barai, 16, and her grandmother Souad al-Barai, 73, arrived in Doha in December 2023. Souad cried when she recalled the day she found out her son was killed. It happened in October 2024, 10 months after she and Haya settled in Doha. She was watching Al Jazeera Arabic news, and saw a man lying on the floor. She did not know that was her son, as his face was covered with blood, until her relative told her. The air raid hit the small tent he built in front of his destroyed home, in which he stayed with his other children. His children were not it the tent at that time. Meanwhile, Haya said she wants her grandmother to feel good and not to remember the past and the bad things that happened to her.
Rushi Abu al-Ross, 16, does his homework at his apartment in Doha. He and his mother Adwaa Abu al-Roos, 44, arrived in Doha in December 2023. He hurt his spinal cord and legs during the war and still not be able to walk yet.
(From Left) The al-Agha family. Sara al-Agha, 17, Leen al-Agha, 9, Samer al-Agha, 44, Nesma al-Agha, 43, and Lama al-Agha, 15. The al-Agha family arrived in Doha in December 2023. Nesma has a family of 7, including herself. The airstrike killed her 15 years old daughter Sama and her 11 years old son Yahya. She wants to visit her children’s graves when she goes back to Gaza. “I have no hope and no feeling now, I am still sad about what happened,” Nesma said.
Sara hangs the Palestinian flag on the wall.
Adwaa did not celebrate Ramadan last year. This year, Adwaa decorated her home in Doha and will prepare Palestinian dishes such as makdous and musakhan to mark the occasion. However, the absence of her loved ones in Gaza – her husband and her son still weighs heavily on her heart.
The al-Hatow family. Rabab, 37, and two of her sons, Asham (left), 14, and Ibrahim, 10. They arrived in Doha in May 2024. An Israeli air attack killed Rabab’s 8 years old daughter Malak. Her husband, two daughters and her son remain in Gaza. Rabab said she appreciated everything here but she still misses home.
A nurse helps Lama with her prosthetic leg during a physiotherapy session. It took Lama nine months to learn to walk again. She cried when she knew that she lost her leg. Later on she accepted the situation and believed that her leg went to paradise before her. “I must be strong.” Lama said.
Rabab participates in a sewing class with other Palestinian women. She started learning to sew when she arrived in Doha.
Haya heads out for a walk. She misses Gaza, even though her parents passed away. However, she does not want to go back to Gaza because she lost her parents and her home was destroyed. She wants to bring her siblings to Doha. But her grandmother wants to go back to Gaza to take care of her grandchildren.
Ibrahim looks outside the window. He said his life in Gaza was good. He misses a lot of things especially his father and his sisters.