In the area of Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, Tony Al-Masri, known as Uncle Tony, sits with his wife, Amal Aboud, and neighbor, Hossam al-Khalili in front of his small tent. They drink coffee and remember the Christmas celebrations that were lost for another year.
Uncle Tony, 78, was first displaced during the Nakba in 1948 from his birthplace, Haifa, where he was born in the Wadi Nisnas neighborhood. His family was forced to flee to the fields of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, where they lived in the Dbayeh camp, before returning to Gaza Strip.
“This is not the first time I lost my home and my loved ones,” he said UN news.
Remember the happiness and joy that filled Gaza during the holiday season before the apparently endless war.
“We used to celebrate Christmas, go to church to get rituals and exchange greetings. The priest would be present among us in the cemetery. Our neighbors in the city of Gaza would wish us well every year.”
He says he used to travel to Bethlehem to visit his children and grandchildren: “But now, for the second year, we have been deprived of vacations due to war.”
He shares that he and his wife Amal Aboud used to decorate a Christmas tree during the festive season and stay awake late on Christmas eve, buy cookies, cakes and other sweets.
“The celebrations would begin after midnight. We would prepare our dinner, we sat together and we have my sons and daughters by my side. But now, there is no one here. My wife and I sit alone to celebrate, and we have no one closer. That is the most difficult thing for me now.”
Without joys, without smiles
Amal adds that every day in the Gaza Strip have been a challenge since the conflict began in October 2023.
“There is no joy, no smiles, or vacations, there is nothing. We are simply a challenging moment. At night, while you sleep, you suddenly listen to a strong explosion. You jump like crazy. You don’t know what to do. You gather and cry, but you can’t go back to sleep. There is no safe place to rest. There is no life. There is nothing to do happy or comfortable.”
Uncle Tony with his wife, Amal, and his neighbor, hossam, drinking tea.
A family you choose
Despite the harsh conditions, the solidarity of Muslim neighbors in the camp west of Khan Younis offers a ray of hope.
Hossam Al-Khalili, neighbor of Uncle Tony in Gaza City before displacement, looked for his Christian neighbor after his own family was displaced to Rafah. Upon learning that Tony was in Khan Younis, Mr. Al-Khalili decided to move close.
“He is like a father for me. I took him closer to me in the camp because he is an older man who needs someone who takes care of him and his wife. I took him close so that I and my children could help him support him,” he says.
“We eat and drink together, and live as a single family. Everything you need, I help, even go to the market to buy.”
Uncle Tony with his wife, Amal, and his neighbor, hossam, dinner together
A desire for peace
Overwhelmed by nostalgia, Uncle Tony expresses his hope of peace and end of the war soon.
“I hope that 2025 is a year of goodness for all nations, especially for the Palestinian people. I hope that bloodshed and wars stop, and people can once again experience the joy of vacations. May God have mercy on all those who lost their lives in war,” he says.
“My wish is to return the beautiful days, to travel to see my grandchildren, daughters and sons. That is my greatest wish.”