GAZA/RAMALLAH, April 20 (Xinhua) -- In the besieged coastal enclave of Gaza, whose economy was battered by Israel's years-long blockades, consumers are piling into markets to shop for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Shops along Omar Al-Mukhtar, the main street of Gaza, saw flocks of people come for new clothes, sweets and decorations for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and falls on Friday this year.
In the West Bank, even though the tensions remained high with Israelis after recent conflicts, the markets were also crowded with Palestinian customers preparing for the Eid celebration.
"Despite the unprecedented political and economic crises in Gaza, we are doing our best to create joyful atmospheres for our kids to celebrate Eid al-Fitr," Hussein Jundiyeh, a father of six in Gaza, told Xinhua.
Financial difficulties as well as the risk of being caught in frequent Israeli raids have prevented many people in Gaza and the West Bank from celebrating the annual Eid al-Fitr to their heart's content, according to Jundiyeh.
"We missed such a sight in the markets for years," he said while shopping at Omar Al-Mukhtar.
"We witnessing a great turnout ahead of Eid al-Fitr," Mohammed al-Huwiety, an owner of a men's clothes shop in Gaza, told Xinhua.
"We are lucky as the feast coincides with the payday for government employees in Gaza and West Bank," al-Huwiety added.
Mona Musa, a 29-year-old mother of two from the West Bank city of Ramallah, said she went many times in recent days to local markets to buy new clothes and sweets for her kids to celebrate the feast.
"The celebration of Eid al-Fitr is a joy that is not comparable to anything, as it comes after the fasting in the month of Ramadan ... It is good to give our children joy despite the circumstances imposed by the Israeli authorities in our territory," she said.
Holiday purchases seem on the rise in West Bank markets than what was witnessed in previous years, despite financial difficulties experienced by the Palestinian people, according to Abdo Idris, head of the General Federation of Chambers of Commerce in the West Bank.
Idris said he hopes that the booming holiday spending will help alleviate the stagnant economy in Palestinian territories.
"Gazans are peace-loving people who wish for a complete end to the conflict with Israel, and are keen to make Eid al-Fitr as joyful as those celebrated by other Muslims around the world," said Jundiyeh.
