The war in Gaza isn't stopping the displaced children in the Deir al-Balah camp from celebrating the holy month of Ramadan despite the challenges they're facing every day.

“Every year we welcome Ramadan in our homes, but this year is different,” Shahad told UN News’s correspondent in Gaza, Ziad Talib. “Ramadan has come upon us while we are in the middle of war.”

The displaced people and residents in Deir Al-Balah alike are suffering from challenging and difficult conditions, with hostilities displacing more than 1.7 million people amid an ever-worsening hunger crisis, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

With lifesaving deliveries into the besieged enclave alarmingly insufficient to meet the rapidly escalating needs of almost the entire population who depend on food aid, famine warnings came on Monday, with a new report revealing that half the population in Gaza – 1.1 million people – have completely exhausted their food supplies and are suffering from catastrophic hunger and starvation.

“Despite the war and tragedy, we are living through it. We love the children’s joy. We love to change the situation we are living in and raise our morale and the morale of our people,” Amira, displaced from northern Gaza, said. 

Meanwhile, children’s voices rise above the tiny square, wishing all passersby Ramadan Kareem.