Baking in rubble: Gaza woman keeps Eid traditions alive despite shortages

Border closures and rising prices make Eid baking difficult in Gaza, but families persist to keep traditions alive.

Gaza City – Delicious aromas drift inside a partially damaged house in northern Gaza, as Samira Touman moves between trays of kaak and maamoul cookies, putting the final touches on them before baking.

Samira, a 60-year-old mother of seven, busily works alongside her daughters and daughter-in-law in the final days of Ramadan, preparing for the arrival of Eid – the first Eid experienced by residents of the Gaza Strip after the October ceasefire.

The mother kneads the dough carefully and then begins shaping it with attention, while her daughter rolls balls of date paste mixed with sesame to fill the dough.

The steps repeat until the baking stage arrives, followed by counting the finished pieces.

In front of a blazing oven fuelled by a wood fire, Samira and her daughters take turns baking. This, they say, is the hardest part of the task due to the lack of cooking gas, yet they remain absorbed in completing their work.