Palestinians in Gaza mark third consecutive Ramadan amid ongoing hardship

As the holy month of Ramadan begins in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians are observing it for the third consecutive year without traditional preparations, overshadowed by the impacts of war and severe humanitarian crisis.

For the Palestinians, daily life remains extremely difficult. With the borders closed, humanitarian aid is blocked, prices are soaring, and basic necessities have become unaffordable.

Despite these harsh conditions, small acts of resilience continue to shine. A resident crafted simple Ramadan lanterns for her young son using cardboard and fabric.

"My son asked me to make lanterns. I could hardly find the fabric because of the blockade. As for the cardboard, I got it from the humanitarian aids. it helped me to craft lanterns," said the resident.

Although a ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October 2025, Israeli strikes have continued.

Residents have express profound sorrow over the loss of Ramadan's traditional joy.

"There is no more Ramadan as such. Three years have passed and we haven't felt the Ramadan atmosphere at all," said a resident.

"We had hoped that Ramadan would come in peace without bombing, and that the war would have ended. Today the bombing is still ongoing and the war has not stopped," said another resident.

"There is no preparation for Ramadan, because there is the lack of basic necessities. We cannot even light lamps because there is no power. We don't know how we will prepare the pre-dawn meal," said a local.

Palestinians in Gaza mark third consecutive Ramadan amid ongoing hardship

Japan's core consumer prices in January rose 2 percent from a year earlier, hitting a two-year low and aligning with the Bank of Japan's inflation goal, government data showed Friday.

The core consumer price index (CPI) climbed to 112 in January, excluding volatile fresh food costs, extending its year-on-year rise to a 53rd consecutive month, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The deceleration was largely due to the effect of fuel subsidies, the abolition of a provisional gasoline tax, and the base effect of last year's surge in food prices, the data showed.

Food prices, excluding fresh items, rose 6.2 percent in January, slowing from a 6.7 percent growth in the previous month, while energy costs fell 5.2 percent after a drop of 3.1 percent in December.

Meanwhile, specific commodity prices saw sharp increases, with coffee bean prices rose by 51.0 percent year on year, and ordinary rice prices rose by 27.9 percent year on year.

Japan's core consumer prices rise 2.0 pct in January