Across the enclave, markets that would normally bustle with Eid shoppers were subdued as residents grappled with soaring inflation, damaged infrastructure and a deepening humanitarian crisis following months of war between Israel and Hamas.

“I go to the market only to look around because I cannot afford to buy anything,” Nadia Abu Shamala, a displaced resident originally from northern Gaza, told AFP from Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.

“This year, Eid comes with none of the joy we once knew in Gaza because of the effects of the war, the soaring prices, and our inability to provide even the simplest needs for our children,” she said.

Although a US-brokered ceasefire began in October 2025, Israeli air strikes continue intermittently across Gaza. The United Nations estimates that roughly 80% of buildings in the territory sustained damage during the conflict, while the majority of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents remain dependent on humanitarian aid for food and essential supplies.

Aid organizations operating in the enclave say restrictions on the volume of goods entering Gaza through Israeli-controlled crossings have contributed to shortages and sharply inflated prices for food, fuel and livestock.

The economic strain has transformed Eid preparations for many households. The ritual sacrifice of sheep or goats, central to Eid Al-Adha commemorations, has become unattainable for most families due to collapsing livestock supplies and wartime inflation.

“The truce is a big lie, but in any case, we are trying to create joy for the children,” said Abu Abdullah Al-Mosadar, a resident of central Gaza who said he pooled about 13,000 shekels ($4,570) with relatives to purchase a sacrificial sheep.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, only about 15,000 sheep remain in Gaza, roughly a quarter of the territory’s pre-war livestock population.

Raafat Asaliya, spokesperson for Gaza’s agriculture ministry, said prices for sacrificial animals had reached unprecedented levels due to shortages, rising feed costs and the destruction of farms.

“A sheep or goat that was sold before the war for around 1,000 shekels is now priced between 11,000 and 15,000 shekels,” Asaliya said.

Residents said even basic meat purchases had become unaffordable.

“Families like ours, who used to make sacrifices every year, are now unable even to buy one kilogram of meat for our children,” said Ahmed Abu Salem, a Gaza City resident.

The hardship has also disrupted longstanding culinary traditions associated with Eid. Families that once baked kaak and maamoul pastries at home now struggle to secure cooking gas and ingredients.

In Khan Younis, some displaced families improvised under makeshift shelters, preparing Eid biscuits in clay ovens beside tents fashioned from reused aid tarpaulins.

“We are still living in tents with no atmosphere of joy, only worries, fear, and exhaustion,” Abu Shamala said. “Without any of the happiness we once knew.”

Carney conveyed the message during a conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, while also expressing concern over conditions in Gaza, which his office described as “catastrophic.”

The Canadian leader reiterated Ottawa’s opposition to Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, violence by settlers, and attacks against Palestinian civilians, underscoring growing tensions between Canada and Israel over the conduct of the Gaza conflict and related humanitarian issues.

The latest intervention follows allegations by organizers of an international aid flotilla that activists detained by Israeli authorities after attempting to deliver assistance to Gaza were subjected to mistreatment while in custody. Organizers said several detainees required hospitalization for injuries and alleged that at least 15 activists reported sexual assaults, including rape.

Israel’s prison service has denied the allegations.
While Carney had already criticized Israel’s handling of the flotilla incident last week, Monday’s statement represented a broader condemnation and reflected the increasingly strained nature of bilateral relations.
The Israeli embassy in Ottawa did not immediately comment on Carney’s latest remarks.

Separately, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said she spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and informed him that Canada would provide evidence related to the alleged mistreatment of Canadian citizens detained during the operation.

Anand said she raised concerns over what Ottawa viewed as a denial of consular access to detained Canadians, arguing that such actions violated obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

“I raised that denying Canadian citizens access to consular services while they were detained violates the Vienna Convention and must never happen again,” Anand said in a statement posted on social media.
Saar rejected the criticism and said he had told Anand that participants in the flotilla had been motivated by support for Hamas. He also raised concerns about what he described as a rise in antisemitic incidents in Canada and called on Canadian authorities to take stronger action against antisemitic violence and incitement.

The dispute has added to mounting diplomatic friction between the two countries. Israel’s ambassador to Canada recently told Canadian media that bilateral government-to-government relations had deteriorated to their lowest point on record.
The episode highlights widening differences between Israel and several traditional Western partners over the conduct of the Gaza war, humanitarian access to the territory and the treatment of foreign nationals involved in aid initiatives linked to the conflict.

Medics said the strike hit an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing Mohammad Abu Mallouh, his wife Alaa Zaqlan and their infant son, Osama. The family was reportedly asleep when the attack occurred.Later on Sunday, Palestinian medical officials said a separate incident in northern Gaza left another Palestinian man dead after Israeli gunfire near a United Nations-operated medical clinic in the Jabalia refugee camp.

The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately comment on either incident.At Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, relatives gathered to mourn the three family members as their bodies, wrapped in white shrouds, were prepared for burial.

The infant’s grandmother, Umm Hamza Abu Mallouh, told Reuters that the family had been sleeping together when the strike hit their home. She said the couple left behind six daughters.Yehia Abu Mallouh, brother of the deceased father, said residents received no warning before the attack.

He told Reuters that family members awoke to the sound of an explosion and discovered the home had been struck while its occupants were asleep.The deaths come as Israel has resumed issuing evacuation orders across parts of Gaza, a practice that had largely diminished after the ceasefire brokered in October under the administration of Donald Trump.

The ceasefire has not halted military operations. Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked in indirect negotiations centered on the group’s disarmament and the future governance of Gaza.Under the current arrangement, Israel maintains control over more than half of the Gaza Strip, while Hamas retains authority over a smaller coastal area, according to the source material.

Gaza health officials say approximately 880 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire took effect. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The Israeli military reports that four Israeli soldiers have been killed by Palestinian militants during the same period.Israel has said that post-ceasefire military actions are intended to prevent attacks and stop individuals from approaching areas near the armistice line separating Israeli and Hamas-controlled territory.

The latest fatalities underscore the fragility of the truce and the continuing humanitarian toll of a conflict that has persisted despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a more durable settlement.

The accusations emerged after hundreds of participants from the Global Sumud Flotilla arrived in Türkiye and other European countries following their deportation from Israel. The flotilla, comprising around 50 vessels, was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters roughly 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Israel’s coast while attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.

According to accounts provided by activists and journalists, detainees were transferred from their vessels to military boats and then taken to the southern Israeli port of Ashdod, where they were allegedly held in shipping containers and subjected to physical abuse.

Several detainees told media outlets they were punched, kicked, dragged, restrained for extended periods and denied access to lawyers or consular representatives. Some also alleged that tasers and attack dogs were used during the detention process.

Among those making allegations was Turkish activist Zeynel Abidin Ozkan, who said detainees were forced to keep their heads lowered while handcuffed and were subjected to rough treatment after refusing to sign documents presented by authorities.

American activist Christopher Boren said he suffered facial injuries after being struck shortly after arriving at Ashdod port, while Italian journalist Alessandro Mantovani described being blindfolded, restrained and physically handled during transfers between vessels and detention facilities.

Greek activist Yiannis Atmatzidis also alleged he was beaten and subjected to a taser discharge during processing procedures.

The claims have drawn international attention, particularly after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appeared in a widely circulated video involving detained flotilla participants.

The footage prompted criticism from several foreign governments, some of which reportedly summoned Israeli diplomats to discuss concerns over the treatment of detainees.

Israeli authorities have rejected the allegations. Israeli Prison Service spokesperson Zivan Freidin described the accusations as “false and entirely without factual basis.”

The flotilla’s organizers said the mission was intended to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza and challenge restrictions imposed under Israel’s blockade. Israeli authorities maintain that maritime restrictions are part of security measures aimed at preventing weapons and military supplies from reaching militant groups operating in the territory.

The competing accounts are likely to intensify international scrutiny of Israel’s handling of foreign activists and humanitarian missions linked to Gaza, while adding to broader diplomatic tensions surrounding the conflict.

The inquiry by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General is focused on a $30 million grant awarded to the foundation in June 2025, the Financial Times reported.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was created as an alternative aid distribution mechanism that largely bypassed United Nations-led humanitarian operations in the territory during the Gaza conflict.

According to the report, investigators are examining how the funding was sourced and spent, including procurement practices for food supplies and transportation services provided through private contractors.

Sources familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that the foundation paid significantly higher prices for food than previous U.S.-funded humanitarian programs in the region.

A spokesperson for the foundation denied knowledge of any investigation and defended the organization’s purchasing practices, saying most food was procured locally at reasonable prices. The spokesperson acknowledged, however, that transportation costs were unusually high because of the operational risks associated with active conflict zones.

The State Department’s Office of Inspector General declined to confirm or deny the existence of a formal investigation but said it had launched an audit earlier this year into U.S. food assistance efforts in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The foundation faced criticism soon after its launch in May 2025 over its opaque financing structure and its reliance on private military contractors at aid distribution sites.

Its executive director and deputy director resigned before operations officially began as international criticism mounted over Israel’s blockade of Gaza and worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave.

The report said Gaza health authorities estimated that around 1,000 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while attempting to access aid near distribution centers operated by the foundation, while United Nations agencies warned that famine conditions were spreading across the territory.

According to the Financial Times, some U.S. officials privately questioned how the foundation operated after the Trump administration waived several audit and oversight requirements typically imposed on federally funded humanitarian organizations.

Democratic lawmakers also requested explanations from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding the approval process for the funding and the safeguards attached to the aid program.

The organization suspended operations in October 2025, citing funding shortages, despite claiming it had distributed more than 187 million meals in Gaza, a figure reportedly disputed by some Israeli officials.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 120 Palestinians, including eight women and 13 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since the Iran conflict was paused on April 8, marking a 20% increase compared with the preceding five-week period.

Conflict monitor Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) reported that Israeli attacks in Gaza rose by 35% in April compared with March, reflecting a renewed military focus on the territory after Israel scaled back operations linked to Iran.

The escalation underscores mounting difficulties surrounding US President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire and advance reconstruction plans in Gaza following more than two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“The war is still ongoing,” said Lafi Al-Najjar, a 36-year-old blind Palestinian whose son was killed in an Israeli strike on April 28. Speaking from a tent camp in the ruins of Khan Younis, Najjar said conditions on the ground had not reflected public declarations of de-escalation.

Israel’s military did not immediately comment publicly on the increased pace of strikes. However, four Israeli defense officials told Reuters that military leaders had recently warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government that Hamas was tightening operational control, replenishing weapons supplies and rebuilding militant ranks.

An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the ceasefire arrangement permitted Israel to act against imminent threats. The official added that the military had prepared broader operational plans for a possible resumption of large-scale combat in Gaza, although no formal order had been issued.

The ceasefire agreement reached in October halted major fighting after two years of war but failed to produce a permanent political settlement.

Negotiations aimed at securing a full Israeli withdrawal, Hamas disarmament and reconstruction of Gaza have stalled.

Israeli forces continue to control more than half of Gaza’s territory, where extensive demolition has left large areas uninhabitable. More than 2 million Palestinians are concentrated in a narrow coastal zone, many sheltering in damaged buildings or temporary encampments.

Since the October ceasefire, around 850 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to figures that do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. During the same period, four Israeli soldiers were killed by militants in Gaza. Hamas has not released casualty figures for its fighters.

Several Israeli strikes since mid-April have targeted positions associated with Gaza’s Hamas-run police force. Palestinian health and police officials said at least 14 police personnel had been killed since April 14.

Nasser Khdour, a researcher at ACLED, said Israeli attacks during April targeted Hamas operatives, allied militant factions, police facilities and security checkpoints across areas under Hamas administration.
Khdour said drone strikes, artillery shelling and gunfire had also continued near armistice lines, affecting both militants and civilians approaching Israeli positions.

Since March, Israel has simultaneously expanded military operations beyond Gaza, joining US strikes against Iran while continuing air and ground campaigns against the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon. Although hostilities in Lebanon have slowed under a separate US-mediated ceasefire, clashes have persisted intermittently.

The inquiry, initiated by Microsoft’s US headquarters, followed a joint investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine and Local Call that reported Israeli intelligence Unit 8200 used Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform to collect, store and analyze intercepted phone conversations involving Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

According to the reports, Microsoft’s internal review concluded that the Israeli military had violated the company’s terms of service through the use of Azure technology for surveillance operations.

The investigation also found that employees within Microsoft’s Israeli subsidiary had not fully disclosed the nature of the military’s activities to senior executives in the United States.

Haimovich played a central role in developing ties between Microsoft and Israeli defense authorities, according to The Guardian. The newspaper reported that he attended a 2021 meeting between Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella and the then-head of Unit 8200, one of Israel’s most prominent military intelligence divisions.

The report said Haimovich later supervised the relationship that enabled Unit 8200 to establish a large operational network within the Azure system, allowing intelligence personnel to process and review millions of intercepted calls.

Israeli financial newspaper Globes reported that Haimovich was questioned by Microsoft’s investigative team, which included lawyers from US law firm Covington & Burling, during a visit to the company’s offices near Tel Aviv.

Following the investigation, Unit 8200 reportedly lost access to Azure services and related artificial intelligence tools provided through the platform.
Haimovich did not publicly comment on the investigation.

However, in an internal email cited by The Guardian announcing his departure, he said he had helped transform Israel into “one of Microsoft’s fastest-growing markets worldwide.”

Microsoft had previously indicated that senior leadership was unaware that Azure infrastructure was being used to store intercepted Palestinian communications.

Last year, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said the company did not supply technology intended to facilitate “mass surveillance of civilians.”

The revelations add to increasing scrutiny faced by major technology companies over the use of cloud computing and artificial intelligence tools by governments and military agencies in conflict zones.

Abu Akleh, a veteran correspondent for Al Jazeera, was killed on May 11, 2022 while reporting on an Israeli operation in the Jenin refugee camp. She was wearing a blue protective vest clearly marked “PRESS” at the time of the shooting, according to eyewitness accounts and media footage from the scene.

Then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett initially said Palestinian gunfire was likely responsible for the killing and denied involvement by Israeli forces. The Israel Defense Forces later stated it was “not possible to unequivocally determine the source of the gunfire,” while acknowledging there was a “high possibility” Abu Akleh was accidentally struck by Israeli fire.

Independent investigations conducted by the United Nations and several international media organizations, including CNN, The New York Times and Al Jazeera, concluded that Abu Akleh was likely killed by Israeli troops during the raid.

Her funeral in occupied East Jerusalem later drew international attention after Israeli security forces clashed with mourners carrying her coffin. The Jerusalem Red Crescent said 33 people were injured and six hospitalized during the confrontation.

In statements issued on Monday, members of Abu Akleh’s family said the absence of legal accountability reflected a broader failure to protect journalists operating in conflict zones.

“We want the US to provide a public update about the investigation and ensure that there is transparency in the FBI investigation,” her niece, Lina Abu Akleh, told Arab News.

She also called for sanctions against the Israeli military unit allegedly involved in the shooting and criticized what she described as insufficient action by Washington despite Abu Akleh’s US citizenship.
“The ongoing impunity sends a dangerous message that journalists can be targeted without consequence,” Lina Abu Akleh said, linking the case to wider concerns over the safety of reporters covering conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

The Committee to Protect Journalists last week urged US authorities to relaunch and publicly update the FBI investigation opened in 2022. In a letter to the US Department of Justice, the organization said it was unaware of formal witness interviews despite multiple individuals expressing willingness to cooperate.

The group described the lack of visible progress in the case as a “profound failure” by the US government to respond promptly and impartially to the killing of one of its citizens abroad.

The Israeli foreign ministry said Spanish activist Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila were expelled after being arrested on April 29 when Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters and escorted the vessel to Israel.

According to the foreign ministry, Abu Keshek was suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization, while Avila was suspected of illegal activity. Both activists rejected the allegations, saying they had participated in a humanitarian mission aimed at delivering aid to civilians in Gaza and describing their detention outside Israeli territorial waters as unlawful.

The activists were part of a second Global Sumud Flotilla mission launched from Spain on April 12 in an attempt to breach Israel’s long-standing blockade on Gaza by sea.

Images released from court proceedings earlier this month showed both men appearing before Israeli judicial authorities following their detention.

Israel has maintained tight restrictions on Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, citing security concerns and the need to prevent weapons smuggling. Hamas, which governs much of the enclave, is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and several Western governments.

International scrutiny over access to humanitarian aid has intensified during the Gaza war triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. The conflict has displaced large portions of Gaza’s population and sharply increased dependence on external assistance.

Humanitarian agencies and international organizations have repeatedly warned that aid deliveries into Gaza remain insufficient to meet civilian needs amid widespread destruction and deteriorating living conditions.

The flotilla interception has also drawn criticism from some United Nations experts and rights advocates, who have questioned the legality of detaining activists operating in international waters.

The lawsuit was filed last year by around 200 American plaintiffs, including families of victims killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. The plaintiffs allege Masri knowingly facilitated Hamas operations through properties and infrastructure linked to companies under his control.

According to court filings, the plaintiffs claim tunnels used by Hamas militants were concealed beneath two Gaza beachfront hotels developed by Masri’s companies, the Ayan Hotel and the Blue Beach Resort. The complaint further alleges that electricity generated by solar panels in an industrial zone operated by Masri’s firms supplied underground Hamas fortifications.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act, which allows American victims of terrorism to pursue civil claims in U.S. courts against individuals or entities accused of materially supporting designated militant organizations.

In a motion seeking dismissal of the case, Masri’s lawyers rejected the allegations and condemned the Oct. 7 assault, which triggered Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.“The defendants unequivocally condemn Hamas’ violence and the suffering it inflicted upon innocent civilians,” Masri’s attorneys wrote in the filing, arguing the plaintiffs failed to establish that Masri knowingly engaged in conduct intended to support Hamas operations.

The filing described the complaint as speculative and said the allegations were based on the premise that participating in Gaza’s economy under Hamas rule amounted to aiding the group.Masri declined additional comment. Lawyers representing the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Before the war, Hamas oversaw governance in Gaza and maintained an extensive tunnel network beneath the territory.

Foreign and Palestinian businesses operating in Gaza frequently navigated commercial and regulatory conditions shaped by Hamas’ control, even as the group remained designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.

Masri is among the most prominent Palestinian business figures in the Middle East and is best known for developing Rawabi, the first master-planned Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank. The $1.4 billion project received international backing and U.S. development assistance grants.His companies also developed major commercial ventures in Gaza, including luxury coastal resorts and the Gaza Industrial Estate near the Israeli border.

Much of the enclave’s infrastructure, including those projects, sustained heavy destruction during Israel’s military offensive following the Oct. 7 attacks.Among the plaintiffs is Israeli technology entrepreneur Eyal Waldman, whose daughter was killed during the attack on the Nova music festival in southern Israel.

Waldman had previously partnered with Masri on technology initiatives employing Palestinian engineers in Rawabi and Gaza, ventures both men had publicly described as examples of economic cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.Waldman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.