Wearing traditional Palestinian dresses, the white fabric intricately embroidered in a rainbow of colors, dozens of smiling brides clutch red bouquets as they walk with their grooms past the tents and ruined buildings of Gaza City.
To the tune of popular songs played from loudspeakers in a city square, the couples whose marriages have been long delayed by war and displacement sit on stage with joy written across their faces.
Thousands turn out to watch the mass wedding against the backdrop of buildings gutted by Israeli strikes over the course of the devastating two-year war.
Palestinian brides and grooms gather during a mass-wedding celebration organised by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) in Gaza City on May 11, 2026. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Attendees clapped and smiled as a troupe performed the dabke, an Arabic folk dance, while women’s ululations echoed through the crowd.
“I can’t quite believe that I’m finally getting married,” Ali Mosbeh told AFP at the start of the ceremony.
“I was sitting in the tent when my phone rang… I couldn’t believe it. I’m still in shock,” he said, recounting the moment he received the call informing him that he was among the 50 young men selected.
People gather during a mass-wedding celebration for Palestinian brides and grooms organised by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) in Gaza City on May 11, 2026. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
The mass wedding is one of many to have been organized since a ceasefire took effect in Gaza in October. This particular event was organised and funded by the Turkish humanitarian organization IHH.
The smartly-dressed grooms wore traditional Palestinian kuffiyeh scarves adorned with the Turkish organisation’s logo, while the brides’ bouquets were dotted with small Turkish flags.
For Mosbeh and his bride, Huda al-Kahlout, the high cost of weddings had also posed an obstacle to tying the knot.
“I never imagined I’d get married in such circumstances,” he says.
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From the Liveblog of
Friday, May 15, 2026
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