‘Made the impossible possible’: Gazan couples tie the knot in mass wedding after two years of loss

Palestinian couples participate in a mass wedding ceremony in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on 2 December 2025

Nagham Zbeedat reports in Haaretz on 3 December 2025:

Fifty-four young Gazan couples were married in a mass wedding ceremony on Tuesday amid the rubble of southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis, with joyous crowds of onlookers gathered to mark a rare moment of celebration in war-torn Gaza.

The ceremony, backed by the United Arab Emirates, took place outdoors on a wedding stage dubbed “Thawb al-Farah,” Arabic for Gown of Joy, built atop the rubble. Draped with flowers and surrounded by Palestinian flags, the stage symbolized for many perseverance and the determination to rebuild life despite the destruction caused by the war.

Traditional songs echoed through the area as families, neighbors, and community elders gathered to greet the newlyweds, who entered in a celebratory procession.

Organizers said the couples were chosen through a lottery system that drew from thousands of applicants across the Gaza Strip. According to organizers, registration for the initiative drew overwhelming interest, with many young men and women hoping for a chance at a wedding they could no longer afford after the war’s devastation.

The event was funded by the UAE’s Gallant Knight 3 humanitarian initiative, which was launched in November 2023 under President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. It has since provided food, medical supplies, temporary shelters, and essential aid to Gaza’s most affected areas.

The wedding coincided with the Gulf nation’s 54th Union Day, commemorating the unification of Abu Dhabi and the surrounding emirates on December 2.

As part of the initiative, tents, clothing, and full ceremonial provisions were supplied to all selected couples – as well as basic support packages for the hundreds who registered but were not chosen.

For many of the grooms, the celebration represented more than just marriage, but a reclaiming of hope. In an interview with UAE-based newspaper Khaleej Times, Saleh al-Sabbah, whose home was destroyed and who lost a leg and a family member during the war, described the moment his name was called in the lottery as “a return of hope after everything collapsed.”

Palestinian couples attend the mass Gaza wedding on 2 December 2025

Standing beside the tent that now functions as his family home, he told the Khaleej Times that the UAE provided everything he and his bride needed: “a tent, clothes, the groom’s suit, the bride’s dress, transportation–things I could not dream of covering.” He added, “We will start our life here. We are a strong, resilient people. This will not break us.”

Others echoed similar gratitude. Ahed Abu Dahrouj, 31, also told the Times that the opportunity arrived “at the perfect time” after two years of war had postponed his engagement celebrations indefinitely. Hearing his name in the draw, he said, brought indescribable joy to both families.

Muath Abu Haleeb, who lost everything he had prepared for his wedding, told the paper that the initiative “made the impossible possible,” allowing him to marry despite repeated displacement and financial hardship.

Hekmat Liwa, 28, described the moment he was found out he was selected as surreal. Initially convinced he had not been selected, he attended the draw with no expectations, only to hear his name announced as the seventh groom: “I checked again and again to make sure it was real,” he told the Times.

Weddings in Palestinian society are typically multi-day affairs, featuring elaborate processions, traditional music, and large family gatherings dressed in coordinated fabrics. They are not only major social occasions but also significant economic decisions that influence the future of extended families. But after months of war and widespread displacement, many Palestinians can no longer afford to hold these traditional ceremonies.

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