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.
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