"In the past, Valentine's Day used to approach us with warmth and love, but this is no longer the case as you can sense that Palestinians have lost the inner excitement," said the 25-year-old Rwaida Hassan, who works in the center of Gaza, to The National.
As time moves forward, the citizens of Gaza seem to be growing increasingly nostalgic over the ways they used to celebrate valentines. They reminisce over the songs of love they used to enjoy, the display of red-colored gifts, and the locally grown flowers sold at almost every corner. Regardless of their relationship status, Palestinians in Gaza used to surround themselves with a romantic ambiance filled with beauty and gratitude.
Recently, however, the situation in Gaza has completely changed due to a terrorizing blockade, retrogression, and an escalating humanitarian crisis. The citizens of the city have found it exceptionally hard to financially and emotionally celebrate such holidays. High divorce rates in Gaza are alarming but unsurprising, the most common reason for divorce being the spouse's inability to sustain the family due to a lack of finances.
"Sales might be limited, but people in Palestine, including the Gaza Strip, always find a way to make life worth living. Because in the end, that's all we can do. Even in the most hopeless of circumstances, I've seen people attach hope to a holiday that may seem trivial around the world — but to us Palestinians, it's an opportunity to create a sense of normalcy, to celebrate family, life, and love," mentioned Hani Almadhoun, UNRWA USA's new Director of Philanthropy.
Aside from the deteriorating crisis preventing Palestinians from celebrating Valentine's day, other obstacles seem to arise due to measures the Israeli government takes to separate citizens living in the occupied territories. To further illustrate, Palestinians are separated by discriminatory policies. In the occupied territory, the Israeli government provides citizens with different IDs. This prohibits them from going to neighboring regions without permits. This separation was initiated in 2003 when Israel modified the Citizenship and Entry law which specifically targets Palestinian. While it was updated in November 2019, many obstacles persist and prevent Palestinians from celebrating love together.
“Despite being engaged, Israel will not allow Dalia Shurrab to travel from her home in the Gaza Strip to the Occupied West bank where her fiancé lives”, Aljazeera mentioned in an article, highlighting how the Israeli occupation prevents loved ones from meeting up with one another.
The apartheid State of Israel has an exceptionally high fertility rate of 3.01 births per woman. The government also takes high regard for its increasing population as it is considered a vital factor for nation-building and the preservation of their community. Consequently, while Israel works on increasing the Jewish population, it aims to decrease the Palestinian one by keeping loved ones apart and hindering their ability to celebrate love.