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A UAE-backed initiative has brought together 250 Palestinian couples for a mass wedding in Gaza, offering a rare moment of celebration amid displacement, destruction and economic hardship.
Mariyam Adheela
Palestinian couples celebrate during a mass wedding ceremony in Gaza in December 2025. Photo: Tasnim News Agency / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
GAZA, Palestine: Two hundred and fifty Palestinian couples celebrated their weddings in a mass ceremony in Gaza on Friday, bringing a moment of joy to the war-torn territory amid widespread destruction and displacement.
The ceremony was held at the Sea Club along Gaza City’s Mediterranean coast as part of the United Arab Emirates’ humanitarian initiative, Operation Chivalrous Knight 3.
The event was organised in cooperation with the Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation to support young Palestinians who have struggled to afford wedding expenses because of the difficult living conditions caused by the war.
The celebrations began with a procession of vehicles decorated with Palestinian flags, flowers and red ribbons. The convoy travelled through damaged streets before reaching the coastal venue, where the couples gathered for the ceremony.
For many of the newlyweds, the celebration came after years of uncertainty, displacement and personal loss.
One of the grooms, Saeed al-Najjar, said his family’s home had been destroyed in Israeli attacks. He and his family are now living in a tent near the Yellow Line in Jabalia refugee camp.
Al-Najjar said he was selected to participate in the mass wedding through a lottery organised by the event committee.
“This joy does not belong only to one groom or the 250 grooms; it is the joy of all the people of Gaza,” he said.
The ceremony provided an opportunity for hundreds of Palestinians to celebrate a new chapter in their lives despite the difficult circumstances surrounding them.
The mass wedding is part of the UAE’s wider humanitarian support programme for Palestinians in Gaza.
The initiative seeks to help young couples who face financial difficulties and cannot afford the costs of holding individual wedding ceremonies.
The latest event follows two earlier mass weddings organised under the same initiative. Fifty-four couples were married in Khan Younis in December 2025, while another 300 couples took part in a ceremony in Deir al-Balah in April 2026.
Despite the continuing challenges facing Gaza’s population, Friday’s gathering offered a rare occasion for families and communities to come together in celebration.
