Father and son dress as Santa and visit Gaza tent city with gifts and music to celebrate New Year

Sunset bathed northern Gaza City in golden light Tuesday evening as Izzat Al-Qawasmeh and her son Mohamed, 11, climbed through the rubble to the top of a building that once housed hundreds of people.

Surrounded by other bombed-out structures, an expanse of white tents where people now live loomed below.

The father and son had decided to visit the tent city with gifts, dressed in Santa Claus costumes.

Mohamed carried a flock of red and white balloons while Al-Qawasmeh played mournful songs on his saxophone – a career that sustained him for 20 years before the war and still today. Later that night, he played the instrument at a wedding.

“We wanted, with the start of the new year, to do something that would make people happy, that would bring them hope,” Al-Qawasmeh said.

The area around Al-Maqousi Towers in northern Gaza City was once a bustling neighborhood where thousands of people lived. Cars and scooters buzzed around vendors and stores; plants hung from balconies and windows.

Tuesday evening was quiet as Al-Qawasmeh’s saxophone echoed through the mostly empty streets.

As he played near some tents, a pile of debris behind him, a group of children gathered around.

A young girl dressed in red with two pigtails came out of a tent while her mother smiled behind her. Mohamed handed her a red balloon which she waved towards the small audience.

“The lives of our children are important to us,” said Al-Qawasmeh, who has three children.

“I hope that 2026 will be a good year for Gaza… and that it will be filled with reconstruction and the start of a new life.”

In another neighborhood, Al-Rimal, west of Gaza City, other Palestinians shared some of their hopes for the new year.

“We were oppressed during the war but we remain firm until now, despite the cold and rain,” said Mohammed Shatat, 32.

“We wake up to rats and mice. Our life dream is to go back to sleep inside houses.”

The future remains uncertain in Gaza

Since the start of a US-brokered ceasefire on October 10, the future of a Gaza peace plan remains uncertain. Living conditions inside the territory have not improved as much as hoped.

Despite Israel’s promises that it would allow 600 humanitarian trucks into the territory per day, United Nations figures only show about 113 per day entered in October and November.

More than 300 Palestinians reportedly killed by Israeli strikes since the start of this ceasefire and 900 people have been injured. Israel said the strikes were a response to Hamas’ actions.

On Monday, Israel announced that it banning more than two dozen humanitarian organizations to continue operating in Gaza for non-compliance with new registration rules.

Earlier this month, the world’s authority on food crises, the Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC), said that although total famine had been averted, Gaza residents continue to face famine and the situation remains fragile.

Last weekend, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Florida to meet with US President Donald Trump, winter rains caused flooding in the Gaza Strip, filling tents, soaking belongings and dissolving clay ovens for cooking.

Al-Qawasmeh said a “clear vision of the future” seems “distant,” but he clings to the belief that things will improve soon.

“The days to come will be good, God willing. They will be days full of joy and happiness and the cloud will disappear just like winter,” he said.

As he played his instrument and Mohamed held up his balloons, the crowd of little children began clapping to the rhythm of the melody. They walked together in the setting sun, clapping and dancing.