Eid brings special joy to families of Palestinian detainees

By Salam AbuSharar

HEBRON, Palestine (AA) – Unlike the past six years, Eid al-Adha this year brings a special sense of joy to the family of Osaid Abu Khdair.

Abu Khdair, 34, from the town of Surif near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, was released by Israel earlier this month, days before the start of Eid Al-Adha, which marks the culmination of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

“This is the first time that I can feel the joy of Eid with my daughter,” he told Anadolu Agency.

“I went with her to the market to buy new clothes for Eid. I have never bought anything for her on Eid before,” the Palestinian father said.

“I can now take my daughter with me to visit our relatives and friends. It’s unimaginable feeling,” he added.

Palestinian NGOs estimate that around 4,600 Palestinian detainees are held in Israeli jails.

- Special Eid

A smile is now drawn on the face of his wife, Doha Hoor, after the release of her husband from Israeli detention.

“It’s the first time for our family to celebrate Eid together,” Hoor, 30, told Anadolu Agency.

She said her family has lost their stability when her husband was detained by Israeli forces. She said it was not easy for her to live alone with her daughter due to work obligations and child care.

“In the past six years, we either lived in my family’s house or Abu Khdair’s family house,” she added. “This Eid, we have our own home where we can receive our guests. It’s a gorgeous feeling.”

The Palestinian wife recalls that she and her daughter had spent 13 Eids alone since her husband was arrested.

“My daughter had used to ask why her father was not here to celebrate Eid with her like other children,” Hoor said.

“It was not easy for her to understand why she was separated from her father and denied his love, pampering and fun and it was not easy for me to explain.”

- Joyful

Mahmoud Ayyad, an activist and poet, is celebrating his first Eid with his 3-year-old daughter in more than ten years.

“The family spent 19 Eids alone during my detention,” Ayyad, 34, from the Dheisha refugee camp, told Anadolu Agency.

Ayyad was repeatedly arrested by Israeli forces over the past years. His daughter was five months old when her father was last arrested by Israeli forces in 2020. He was also detained by Palestinian security forces due to his political views.

Two years ago, Ayyad was subjected to harsh interrogation during Eid instead of spending the festival with his family.

“I asked the officer to call my family to greet them on the occasion, but he refused,” he recalled.

Israeli prison authorities don’t allow Palestinian detainees to call their families on Eid.

Ayyad said detainees turn to using a limited number of smuggled mobile phones with poor quality to call their families during Eid for only three minutes.

“Despite all the restrictions, the detainees strive to celebrate Eid with their families while in jails,” he said. “They make some kinds of sweets and perform the Eid prayers together in the prison yard in the morning of the first day of Eid,” he said.

This Eid, Ayyad is keen on enjoying every detail of the feast with his child and family.

“I was very happy to buy toys for her. I bought each toy she asked me to buy. It’s an incredible experience with her. This is the first time she asks me to buy something for her.”