Ramadan begins in Gaza amid ruins of shattered mosques

Palestinians pray in makeshift spaces as they mourn their dead and lost places of worship

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As the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan began in Gaza on Feb 18, Palestinians headed to shattered ruins of mosques or to makeshift prayer spaces made of tarpaulins and wood, mourning their dead and their lost places of worship.

In Gaza City, the dome of the now destroyed Al Hassaina mosque rests on top of a pile of rubble. Its former courtyard, where worshippers once gathered and today families sleep and cook among the ruins, is crisscrossed with washing lines.

"I can't bear to look at it," said 61-year-old Sami Al Hissi, a volunteer at the mosque in Gaza City, standing on rubble where rows of worshippers once stood shoulder to shoulder in prayer.

"We used to pray comfortably. We used to see our friends, our loved ones. Now there are no loved ones, no friends and no mosque,” he said.