This Is What Iftar In Gaza Looks Like As Ramadan Violence Continues

This Is How People In Gaza Are Breaking Their Ramadan Fasts

As images from the violent Gaza conflict fill screens worldwide, it's easy to forget that the holy month of Ramadan is still going on, and many of the people running from bombs are also fasting.

During Ramadan, observant Muslims fast from before sunrise to after sunset, breaking their fasts at the end of the day with a meal called iftar, which is usually a joyful celebration of family and community.

In Gaza, however, the meal is overshadowed by the threat of violence. Here's how people in Gaza are breaking their fasts:

Palestinian family displaced by Israeli bombing breaks their day-long Ramadan fast at a United Nations school in Gaza pic.twitter.com/hI2DagjtWW

— SanduKanKanack (@SanduKanKanack) July 18, 2014

gaza ramadan
This combination of two photos taken on Wednesday, July 23, 2014, shows a Palestinian Muslim family breaking their fast, top, and their meal, bottom, which consists a plate of mixed rice, during the holy month of Ramadan in St. Porphyrios Church in Gaza City where they had sought refuge from war. Hundreds of Palestinians, who had fled their houses in fear of Israeli strikes, now stay on the grounds of the Greek Orthodox church. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

gaza fast
Members of a Palestinian Muslim family break their fast, during the holy month of Ramadan on the grounds of the St. Porphyrios church in Gaza City where they had seek refuge from the war, Wednesday, July 23, 2014. After a long day of fasting, the moment of pay-off finally comes in the form of 'iftar', the evening meal that breaks the fast. Iftar is a social event as much as it is a gastronomical adventure for Muslims worldwide. Under normal circumstances, the celebratory meals give people reason to reconnect with friends and family, and gather around shared platters of food. The Greek Orthodox church had opened its doors to hundreds of displaced Palestinians as tens of thousands fled their homes in fear of Israeli strikes and in the wake of fierce Israel-Hamas fighting during Israel's ground operation.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

palestinian family break fast
A Palestinian family breaks its day-long fast at a UN school in Gaza City on July 13, 2014, after evacuating its home near the border with Israel. Israel harshened its campaign against Gaza, warning Palestinians in the north to flee after marines mounted a ground attack, as diplomatic efforts to halt the bloodshed intensified. The Palestinian death toll from the punishing Israeli air campaign hit 166, with another 1,120 people wounded, the emergency services said. AFP PHOTO/MAHMUD HAMS/GETTY

palestinian family break fast
A Palestinian family breaks its day-long fast at a UN school in Gaza City on July 13, 2014, after evacuating its home near the border with Israel. Israel harshened its campaign against Gaza, warning Palestinians in the north to flee after marines mounted a ground attack, as diplomatic efforts to halt the bloodshed intensified. The Palestinian death toll from the punishing Israeli air campaign hit 166, with another 1,120 people wounded, the emergency services said. AFP PHOTO/MOHAMMED ABED/GETTY

ramadan fast
A Palestinian family break fast in the school of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza city, Gaza on 14 July, 2014.

Before You Go

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke and fire from the explosion of an Israeli strike rise over Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014, as Israeli airstrikes pummeled a wide range of locations along the coastal area and diplomatic efforts intensified to end the two-week war. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke and fire from the explosion of an Israeli strike rise over Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israeli airstrikes hit a wide range of locations along the coastal area of the Gaza Strip as diplomatic efforts intensified to end the two week war that has killed hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke from an Israeli strike rises over Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israeli airstrikes hit a wide range of locations along the coastal area of the Gaza Strip as diplomatic efforts intensified to end the two week war that has killed hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke from an Israeli strike rises over Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israeli airstrikes hit a wide range of locations along the coastal area of the Gaza Strip as diplomatic efforts intensified to end the two week war that has killed hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke from an Israeli strike rises over Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israeli airstrikes hit a wide range of locations along the coastal area of the Gaza Strip as diplomatic efforts intensified to end the two week war that has killed hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke from an Israeli strike rises over Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israeli airstrikes hit a wide range of locations along the coastal area of the Gaza Strip as diplomatic efforts intensified to end the two week war that has killed hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke from an Israeli strike rises over Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israeli airstrikes hit a wide range of locations along the coastal area of the Gaza Strip as diplomatic efforts intensified to end the two week war that has killed hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
General view of the Al Farouk mosque destroyed by an overnight Israeli strike, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israeli airstrikes pummeled a wide range of locations along the coastal area and diplomatic efforts intensified to end the two-week war that has killed hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
An Israeli tank sits in a field as heavy smoke rises from the Gaza Strip Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israeli airstrikes pummeled a wide range of locations in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday as the U.N. chief and the U.S. secretary of state began an intensive effort to end more than two weeks of fighting that has killed hundreds of Palestinians and tens of Israelis. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke from Israeli strikes rises over Gaza City, in the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. A police spokesman said Israeli aircraft have hit dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip, including the home of the late leader of Hamas' military wing, several mosques and a football stadium. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke and debris from an Israeli strike rise over Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014, as Israeli airstrikes pummeled a wide range of locations along the coastal area and diplomatic efforts intensified to end the two-week war. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke and debris from an Israeli strike rise over Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014, as Israeli airstrikes pummeled a wide range of locations along the coastal area and diplomatic efforts intensified to end the two-week war. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Palestinian children inspect the Al Farouk mosque destroyed by an overnight Israeli strike, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israeli airstrikes pummeled a wide range of locations along the coastal area and diplomatic efforts intensified to end the two-week war that has killed hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Palestinians inspect the damage of the Al-Shalam (Peace) tower, destroyed by an overnight Israeli strike, in Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. A high-level attempt by the U.N. chief and the U.S. secretary of state to end deadly Israel-Hamas fighting was off to a rough start Monday: Gaza's Hamas rulers signaled they won't agree to an unconditional cease-fire, Israel's prime minister said he'll do whatever is necessary to keep Israelis safe from Hamas attacks. Gaza health officials say hundreds Palestinians have died since the beginning of Israelâs campaign in the Gaza Strip since the ground operation began Thursday. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Palestinian children inspect the damage at the Al Aqsa Martyrs mosque in Gaza City, destroyed by an overnight Israeli strike, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. A high-level attempt by the U.N. chief and the U.S. secretary of state to end deadly Israel-Hamas fighting was off to a rough start Monday: Gaza's Hamas rulers signaled they won't agree to an unconditional cease-fire, Israel's prime minister said he'll do whatever is necessary to keep Israelis safe from Hamas attacks. Gaza health officials say hundreds Palestinians have died since the beginning of Israelâs campaign in the Gaza Strip since the ground operation began Thursday. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Palestinian Khaled Sharmi, 67, walks past the Al Aqsa Martyrs mosque, destroyed by an overnight Israeli strike, in Gaza City Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israel bombed five mosques, a sports stadium and the home of the late Hamas military chief across the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday, a Gaza police official said, as the U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry launched a high-level effort to end two weeks of deadly fighting. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Palestinian man walks past the Al Aqsa Martyrs mosque, destroyed by an overnight Israeli strike, in Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israel bombed five mosques, a sports stadium and the home of the late Hamas military chief across the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday, a Gaza police official said, as the U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry launched a high-level effort to end two weeks of deadly fighting. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Palestinian man inspects the Al Aqsa Martyrs mosque destroyed by an overnight Israeli strike, in Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Israel bombed five mosques, a sports stadium and the home of the late Hamas military chief across the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday, a Gaza police official said, as the U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry launched a high-level effort to end two weeks of deadly fighting. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke rises as flames spread across buildings after Israeli strikes in the Shijaiyah neighborhood in Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. A high-level attempt by the U.N. chief and the U.S. secretary of state to end deadly Israel-Hamas fighting was off to a rough start Monday: Gaza's Hamas rulers signaled they won't agree to an unconditional cease-fire, Israel's prime minister said he'll do whatever is necessary to keep Israelis safe from Hamas attacks. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Damage can be seen at Al Aqsa Martyrs mosque in Gaza City after an Israeli strike, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. A police spokesman said Israeli aircraft have hit dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip, including the home of the late leader of Hamas' military wing, sevenral mosques and a football stadium. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke from Israeli strikes rises over Gaza City, in the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. A police spokesman said Israeli aircraft have hit dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip, including the home of the late leader of Hamas' military wing, sevenral mosques and a football stadium. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Flames spread across buildings after Israeli strikes in the Shijaiyah neighbourhood in Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. A high-level attempt by the U.N. chief and the U.S. secretary of state to end deadly Israel-Hamas fighting was off to a rough start Monday: Gaza's Hamas rulers signaled they won't agree to an unconditional cease-fire, Israel's prime minister said he'll do whatever is necessary to keep Israelis safe from Hamas attacks. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke rises as flames spread across buildings after Israeli strikes in the Shijaiyah neighborhood in Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. A high-level attempt by the U.N. chief and the U.S. secretary of state to end deadly Israel-Hamas fighting was off to a rough start Monday: Gaza's Hamas rulers signaled they won't agree to an unconditional cease-fire, Israel's prime minister said he'll do whatever is necessary to keep Israelis safe from Hamas attacks and the overall Palestinian death toll surpassed 560. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke from an Israeli strike rises over Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. A police spokesman said Israeli aircraft have hit dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip, including the home of the late leader of Hamas' military wing, several mosques and a football stadium. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
MENAHEM KAHANA via Getty Images
A picture taken from the southern Israeli Gaza border shows smoke billowing from the coastal Palestinian enclave during shelling by the Israeli army on July 22, 2014. UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged Israel and the Palestinians to stop the bloodshed in Gaza as he sought to broker an end to a fortnight of deadly violence. AFP PHOTO /MENAHEM KAHANA (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images)
MENAHEM KAHANA via Getty Images
A picture taken from the southern Israeli Gaza border shows smoke billowing from the coastal Palestinian enclave during shelling by the Israeli army on July 22, 2014. UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged Israel and the Palestinians to stop the bloodshed in Gaza as he sought to broker an end to a fortnight of deadly violence. AFP PHOTO /MENAHEM KAHANA (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images)
JACK GUEZ via Getty Images
An Israeli Apache attack helicopter fires a missile over the Gaza Strip as seen from Israel's border with Gaza, on July 22, 2014. The UN chief and Washington's top diplomat are holding a flurry of meetings in Cairo to push for an end to two weeks of violence in Gaza that has killed so far 585 Palestinians. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
JACK GUEZ via Getty Images
An Israeli Apache attack helicopter fires a missile over the Gaza Strip as seen from Israel's border with Gaza, on July 22, 2014. The UN chief and Washington's top diplomat are holding a flurry of meetings in Cairo to push for an end to two weeks of violence in Gaza that has killed so far 585 Palestinians. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
JACK GUEZ via Getty Images
A picture taken from the southern Israeli Gaza border shows smoke billowing from the coastal Palestinian enclave following an Israeli air strike on Gaza City on July 22, 2014. The UN chief and Washington's top diplomat are holding a flurry of meetings in Cairo to push for an end to two weeks of violence in Gaza that has killed so far 585 Palestinians. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
JACK GUEZ via Getty Images
A picture taken from the southern Israeli Gaza border shows smoke billowing from the coastal Palestinian enclave following Israeli air strikes on Gaza City on July 22, 2014. The UN chief and Washington's top diplomat are holding a flurry of meetings in Cairo to push for an end to two weeks of violence in Gaza that has killed so far 585 Palestinians. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
JACK GUEZ via Getty Images
A picture taken from the southern Israeli Gaza border shows smoke billowing from the coastal Palestinian enclave during shelling by the Israeli army on July 22, 2014. The UN chief and Washington's top diplomat are holding a flurry of meetings in Cairo to push for an end to two weeks of violence in Gaza that has killed so far 585 Palestinians. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
JACK GUEZ via Getty Images
A picture taken from the southern Israeli Gaza border shows smoke billowing from the coastal Palestinian enclave during shelling by the Israeli army on July 22, 2014. The UN chief and Washington's top diplomat are holding a flurry of meetings in Cairo to push for an end to two weeks of violence in Gaza that has killed so far 585 Palestinians. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
JACK GUEZ via Getty Images
A picture taken from the southern Israeli Gaza border shows smoke billowing from the coastal Palestinian enclave during shelling by the Israeli army on July 22, 2014. The UN chief and Washington's top diplomat are holding a flurry of meetings in Cairo to push for an end to two weeks of violence in Gaza that has killed so far 585 Palestinians. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
JACK GUEZ via Getty Images
A picture taken from the southern Israeli Gaza border shows smoke billowing from the coastal Palestinian enclave during shelling by the Israeli army on July 22, 2014. The UN chief and Washington's top diplomat are holding a flurry of meetings in Cairo to push for an end to two weeks of violence in Gaza that has killed so far 585 Palestinians. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
JACK GUEZ via Getty Images
An Israeli Merkava tank rolls on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip, on July 22 , 2014, as smoke billows from the coastal Palestinian enclave following an Israeli army ground operation to destroy tunnels reportedly used by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip to enter Israel. The UN chief and Washington's top diplomat are holding a flurry of meetings in Cairo to push for an end to two weeks of violence in Gaza that has killed sp far 585 Palestinians. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Lior Mizrahi via Getty Images
YAHUD, ISRAEL - JULY 22: (ISRAEL OUT) An Israeli woman inspects an Israeli home allegedly hit by a Hamas rocket on July 22, 2014 in Yahud south to Tel Aviv, Israel. As operation 'Protective Edge' goes into it's third week, the death toll continues to mount, including 27 Israeli soldiers and over 500 people in Gaza, the vast majority of whom are civilians. (Photo by Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)
SAID KHATIB via Getty Images
A general view of the remains of a mosque, following an overnight Israeli military strike, on July 22, 2014, in Rafah the southern Gaza Strip. UN chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry are in Cairo in a bid to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas after two weeks of fighting which has left over 570 Palestinians dead. AFP PHOTO/ SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)
SAID KHATIB via Getty Images
A Palestinian boy sweeps the ground outside a destroyed mosque, following an overnight Israeli military strike, on July 22, 2014, in Rafah the southern Gaza Strip. UN chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry are in Cairo in a bid to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas after two weeks of fighting which has left over 570 Palestinians dead. AFP PHOTO/ SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)
SAID KHATIB via Getty Images
Palestinians gather outside a partly destroyed mosque, following an overnight Israeli military strike, on July 22, 2014 in Rafah the southern Gaza Strip. UN chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry are in Cairo in a bid to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas after two weeks of fighting which has left over 570 Palestinians dead. AFP PHOTO/ SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)
MAHMUD HAMS via Getty Images
Palestinian men remove goods from the rubble of a destroyed store located on the ground floor of a building hit by an Israeli air strike on July 22, 2014 in Gaza city. UN chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry are in Cairo today in a bid to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas after two weeks of fighting which has left over 570 Palestinians dead. AFP PHOTO / MAHMUD HAMS (Photo credit should read MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images)
MAHMUD HAMS via Getty Images
A Palestinian man inspects the rubble of a destroyed store located on the ground floor of a building hit by an Israeli air strike on July 22, 2014 in Gaza city. UN chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry are in Cairo today in a bid to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas after two weeks of fighting which has left over 570 Palestinians dead. AFP PHOTO / MAHMUD HAMS (Photo credit should read MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images)

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