Gaza- A Palestinian wedding took place above the rubbles of one of the houses that was destroyed three months ago by the Israeli warplanes.
Mohammed Zourab, 27 years old, wanted to express that war will never affect his life by holding his wedding above the rubbles of his destroyed house in Khan Yonis city south of the Gaza Strip.
"I am celebrating my wedding here, to show to the world that we are looking forward to a dignity and peaceful life," the groom told Xinhua, while holding his bride's hand.
Zourab celebrated the event with his friends and relatives, dancing the national folkloric dance, known as Dabke. On Nov. 12, 2019, Israeli warplanes carried out strikes over Zourab's house, during three days of escalation between Israel and Islamic Jihad movement, after Israel killed Baha Abu al-Atta, a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza.
At least 36 Palestinian were killed and dozens of houses were destroyed during the escalation, according to Health Ministry in Gaza. "As Palestinians, we believe that we must continue our life, despite our pain and the continuing Israeli crimes against our people," said the groom, who works as a farmer.
The young man who buried his dream with the rubbles of his house said that life does not stop there and he has to continue by starting a new life and having a family.
His father, also owner of the house, insisted to celebrate his son's weeding on the rubbles as a message to Israel that the land belongs to them. The father said that he would not forget the moment when he raced the time to leave his house before it was destroyed by Israeli warplanes. A call from Israeli soldiers informed him that he had only five minutes to leave his home before the warplanes targeted it.
"It was a race with the death," said the 55-year-old father with a breaking voice, adding that all his family has become homeless. He said that everything is targeted in the Gaza Strip, including stone, trees, and human beings, by Israel.
"Israel tries to end our presence by killing or displacing us as well as forcing young people to emigrate from the strip as soon as possible," he added.
About 15 rounds of military tension occurred between Israel and Palestinian militant groups since the end of the last large-scale Israeli attack on the strip in the summer of 2014, which left more than 2 000 Palestinians dead. Israel has imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip, since the Hamas seized it in 2007.