200 couples marry in mass Gaza wedding

Despite unseasonably cold temperatures, nearly 400 Palestinians were married in a mass wedding in Gaza City on Saturday.

“Even the rainy weather did not stop this wonderful ceremony,” the mother of one groom said, according to a Channel 2 report Sunday. “Now he can start a family despite all the difficulties.”

In recent years, dozens of mass weddings, often sponsored by charities, have taken place in the Gaza Strip to help young couples who are struggling financially.

“Gaza’s youth suffer considerably, and wedding expenses are very high,” one bride explained.

“I have been engaged for two years but because of money, we have not been able to get married until now,” she said.

Organizers of the wedding said participants whose families suffered casualties or lost their homes in the recent war between Israel and Hamas in the coastal enclave were chosen to participate in the ceremony.

The ceremony, entitled “Gaza Rejoice” was sponsored by the Khalifa Foundation, the personal charity of United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.