A mass wedding brought together 203 grooms and 203 brides in the Zawayda area of the central Gaza Strip on 18 December. The ceremony was organised by the Turkish Ribat Association.
Amid a fragile ceasefire and blockade, large numbers of Palestinians gathered to attend the event, which symbolised collective marriage, resilience and solidarity.
The mass wedding was organised with support from the Turkish Ribat Humanitarian Aid Association, a non-profit organisation based in Konya, Türkiye.
Many of the newly married couples and attendees waved the flags of Palestine and Türkiye.
A similar mass wedding ceremony was held in Gaza’s Khan Younis on 3 December, 2025, drawing thousands of Palestinians.
The event celebrated the marriage of 54 couples who had been unable to wed amid Israel’s assault on the strip.
It was funded by Al Fares Al Shahim, a humanitarian aid operation backed by the United Arab Emirates. In addition to holding the event, the organisation offered couples a small sum of money and other supplies to start their lives together.
Crowds gathered in large numbers, scrambling for vantage points and even climbing over the ruins of damaged buildings to watch the ceremony.
Despite the challenges of organising the event after two years of war, the couples lined up to enter with careful coordination.
The brides wore matching white dresses adorned with red and gold embroidery, while the grooms appeared in dark suits with maroon ties.
Weddings hold a central place in Palestinian culture, but they have become increasingly rare in Gaza amid the ongoing war.
With a fragile ceasefire that went into effect on 10 October, 2025, the tradition is slowly returning, though ceremonies today are often far simpler than the elaborate celebrations that were once common in the territory.
Indian police detained more than 2,000 protesters in Delhi on Saturday as authorities blocked a planned demonstration calling for the resignation o...
A powerful explosion has been reported at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, raising fresh concerns over aviation security in Saudi Arabi...
At least 12 people, including three children, have been killed in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, a day after U.S. Presiden...
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took the decision at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan on Friday, media reported.
A powerful explosion has been reported at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, raising fresh concerns over aviation security in Saudi Arabia as tensions across the region continue to escalate.
Britain and Israel have reached a temporary compromise over the future of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, easing a diplomatic dispute that had threatened to further strain relations between the two countries.
South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday (9 October) escalating tensions with European allies and potentially targeting companies that provide services to the tribunal. The move came hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize.
A powerful explosion has been reported at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, raising fresh concerns over aviation security in Saudi Arabia as tensions across the region continue to escalate.
Turkic states are assessing the feasibility of passport-free travel between countries using national ID cards, Kürşad Zorlu, the Deputy Chairman of Türkiye’s ruling AK Party said on Saturday.
European Union measures suspending import duties on 80 per cent of Armenian exports to the bloc came into effect on Saturday. The temporary liberalisation measures are aimed at supporting Armenian producers and exporters following trade restrictions imposed on the country's products by Russia.
Georgia is enjoying one of its biggest and highest-quality grape harvests since independence. By 6 October, growers in the country's main wine-producing region, Kakheti, had delivered 182,210 tonnes of grapes, with 99 per cent rated medium or high quality, despite recent protests over prices.
Uzbekistan has unveiled plans to deepen economic ties with Central Asia and Azerbaijan, proposing shared artificial intelligence infrastructure, a critical minerals alliance and a regional trade strategy extending to 2035.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment