A mournful Eid al-Adha in Gaza

Under the damaged dome of al-Albani Mosque in Khan Younis, families stood connected breached chromatic and dust, raising their voices successful takbir, the declaration of god's greatness, to people the archetypal greeting of Eid al-Adha connected Friday.

In Gaza, the holiest of the two large Muslim holidays is traditionally a clip for communal worship, the sacrifice of lambs, and shared meals. Families stitchery astir piles of breadstuff baked connected the saj and morsels of liver caller from the slaughter.

But this twelvemonth successful Khan Younis, determination was nary feast. No lambs to sacrifice. No odor of nutrient cooking, nary joyful reunions. The celebration, stripped of its customs, pressed connected successful grief.

Girls praying among the ruins successful Nuseirat. EYAD BABA / AFP - Getty Images

“We don’t devour meat, we don’t devour liver, we are not blessed similar different times waiting for the Eid with joy,” Eftarag Abou Sabaa told NBC News' squad successful Khan Younis.

Rather than the ritual sacrifice of a lamb, Abou Sabaa said, “We sacrifice the humor of martyrs. We sacrifice our sons, our daughters, and our mothers; we sacrifice ourselves successful a mode that sets america isolated from different people.”

That morning, crowds moved softly to the Khan Younis cemetery to sojourn loved ones mislaid to the war, and greeted each different by the tombstones of children, parents, and friends.

Only the buzz of Israeli drones overhead filled the solemn silence.

“This is not an Eid of joy; it is an Eid of mourning and death,” Ahmed Darwish, displaced from Rafah to westbound Khan Younis, told NBC News arsenic helium stood beside the graves. “Our children and women are successful pieces. Instead of sacrificing animals, we collected assemblage parts this morning.”

A pistillate visits the sedate of a loved one.EYAD BABA / AFP - Getty Images

On Eid, Israeli strikes continued arsenic families wept by the bodies of their loved ones, killed earlier celebrations could begin.

Reda Abdel Rahim Eljara told an NBC News squad that Israeli aerial strikes had already killed her hubby and 1 of her sons. On the archetypal time of Eid al-Adha, she mislaid 2 much sons and her daughter-in-law.

"Three months ago, connected Eid al-Fitr, my lad Qais got married," she told NBC News. "Today, connected the main Eid, helium is martyred with his wife."

Umm Ahmad Al-Qatati said her son, Omar, 11, was changeable arsenic helium near his structure to ablution and get acceptable for a sojourn to spot his father.

A kid astatine the cemetery. EYAD BABA / AFP - Getty Images

“He was truthful excited for Eid morning, but they sent him to the morgue instead,” she said. "Instead of celebrating Eid, helium went to beryllium with his Lord."

Those for whom decease had not come, trudged forward.

At the ruins of al-Albani Mosque, Thaer al-Salmi, 14, continued to pray.

"We effort to find immoderate joyousness by praying and wearing a fewer apparel to consciousness the Eid spirit," helium said. “I anticipation this warfare ends, and that adjacent Eid volition beryllium similar it was 2 years agone — a existent solemnisation without war.”