In the heart of a Abu Dhabi safe haven housing thousands of war victims and cancer patients from Gaza, love has found a way.
Emirates Humanitarian City (EHC), which is providing shelter to more than 2,000 Palestinians, many of whom are undergoing cancer treatment, celebrated its second wedding this week - a moment of happiness amid the continuing pain of displacement and loss.
Amro Abu Alqumboz, 54, and Ikram Halhool, 37, were married on Thursday in a celebration held inside EHC.
Separate halls were arranged for the bride and groom, and the air was filled with traditional Palestinian songs.
There were no extended family members present, no parents or siblings - just a close-knit circle of friends they have come to know inside the city, and a hall adorned in their honour.
“The Gazans have been through so much, and this is the least we could do for them,” said Mubarak Al Qahtani, spokesman for the EHC.
“We were delighted to hear of their intention to get married. Everyone needed some happiness in this chaos. We know they don’t have their families with them, but we have become their family.”
All costs for the wedding were covered by the EHC. Two months earlier, Nagham Alghafour, 20, became the first bride to get married at the centre.
She wed Mohamed Abu Eida, 25, a young man being treated for injuries caused by shrapnel wounds. Ms Alghafour had arrived with her parents, both cancer patients.
“I had seen him around the EHC, but had never spoken to him,” said Ms Alghafour. “Some women who were friends of my mother mentioned someone was looking for a wife and said I’d be a good match. The rest is history, we fell in love and got married. I’m lucky my parents were here to marry me off.”
Her mother, Firyal Abd Al Ghafour, 53, described her daughter’s wedding day as bittersweet.
“I was happy for her, but we miss our family back home. We’ve lost so many,” she said, her voice filled with emotion. “Life moves on, but how can we ever forget?”
Shelter from horrors in Gaza
The EHC has served as a sanctuary for many of those affected by the violence of the conflict. The centre is part of the UAE's continuing humanitarian operations in solidarity with the Palestinians.
About medical 150 appointments are carried out each day within the vast complex, not including those admitted to hospitals in the capital for complex surgery.
A separate building at EHC features a pharmacy, clinics, a ward with hospital beds staffed by doctors, paediatricians, an internal medicine doctor, psychiatrists, dentists and a rehabilitation specialist.
EHC has a medical team of more than 50 doctors, nurses, therapists and administrators. A school serving more than 400 children has also been established at the EHC to support Gazans living there.
