Khan Younis, Gaza Strip – Dawn marks the beginning of another day in Ramadan. At the partially damaged al-Shafii Mosque in western Khan Younis, the buzz of Israeli drones overhead was not the only sound heard as the dawn prayer concluded.
Instead, a solemn echo filled the air – verses of the Quran recited aloud.
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Rows upon rows of Palestinian men and boys dressed in white cloaks filled the mosque’s yard for one single purpose: to recite the entire Quran before sunset. Some sat on chairs while others lay on the floor, but all remained focused on the sacred task before them.
Two hundred and fifty-six Quran memorisers – Palestinians who have committed the entire holy book to memory – sat in the place while companions beside them listened attentively, following each word carefully to ensure the recitation remained flawless.
The gathering, titled “Safwat Al-Huffaz” – “The Elite of Quran Memorisers”, has become a special collective way of observing Ramadan in Gaza. Yet after nearly two years of Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave, its meaning has grown far deeper.
Memorising the Quran is considered one of the most noble Islamic honours, one that requires years of disciplined study, repetition, and devotion. Over the years, Gaza has developed a rich tradition of Quran memorisation circles that nurture spiritual values and strengthen connection with religious faith.
The massive recitation sessions, where Quran memorisers collectively recite the entire book by heart, have become one of the most distinguished expressions of that tradition.
Despite the devastation created by Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza – which has killed more than 75,000 Palestinians – participants have insisted on holding the gathering again this year in an act of spiritual perseverance.
Among those carefully reciting was 51-year-old Mohammad al-Qiranawi, a Quran memoriser whose dark glasses concealed the fact that he has been blind since childhood.
Losing his eyesight early in life never prevented him from memorising the Quran.
“The Quran has always been my best companion,” al-Qiranawi said as he paused briefly from his recitation.
“By the time I turned 10, I had completely lost my eyesight due to health issues. But even through that loss, [God] granted me another gift. I continued memorising the Quran and relied on my hearing to perfect it.”
Over the years, he went on to teach the Quran to his children and others, who also memorised the Quran.
But Israel’s genocide has made his journey more difficult.
Displacement, destruction, and the daily struggle to survive have disrupted the memorisation circles he once attended regularly. Still, he continued reciting whenever possible.
“Despite these hardships, I held on to my companion,” he said. “I kept reciting and joined sessions whenever I could to preserve the Quran in my heart and teach younger students the rules of recitation.”
War on religious life
For Gaza’s predominantly Muslim society, mosques have long served as pillars of both spiritual and social life.
Faith is a lived practice woven into daily life, rather than something confined to words or symbolic gestures.
In nearly every neighbourhood, the mosque functions as a community hub where people seek not only religious guidance but also relief from the pressures of daily life.
Through generations, these religious spaces have nurtured Palestinians from all walks of life. Scholars, doctors, engineers, and labourers alike passed through the same Quranic circles that taught discipline, patience, and faith.
But Israel’s genocide in Gaza has harmed that spiritual infrastructure.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, more than 89 percent of the territory’s mosques, more than 1,000 in total, have been destroyed or severely damaged by Israeli attacks.
Israeli strikes have also killed worshipers while they were gathered for prayer in mosques, in addition to bombing and damaging Gaza’s three historic churches.
The widespread destruction has left religious institutions in ruins, forcing worshippers and students to scatter across displacement camps and makeshift shelters.
And yet, despite the conditions, many Palestinians have made it a priority to establish makeshift religious spaces. In camps and shelters, mosques have been built from wood, tarps, or scraps of fabric.
There, people gather to pray, study, and recite the Quran, even as copies of the holy book have become scarce and often have to be shared.
These fragile spaces have allowed Gaza’s Quranic tradition to endure, enabling new generations of Quran memorisers to continue despite the immense difficulties around them.
Thirteen-year-old Abdul Rahman Abu Nimr had just completed nearly eight hours of recitation when he reached the final chapter of the Quran.
“I finished memorising the Quran while being displaced,” Abu Nimr said. The genocide has transformed his life. “I lost my home, my uncle, and many friends,” he said.
“We are exhausted from displacement and wish we could return to normal life.”
“The Quran circles with other displaced students consoled me during these times,” he said. “Today, I am very happy to recite it again, and I will continue revising it so I never forget.”
Faith under fire
For some participants, the assault on religious life has not been limited to domes and minarets.
Wasim Abu Sahloul, another Quran memoriser taking part in the gathering, sat murmuring verses with a steady face. But behind his poise was multilayered trauma.
Abducted during the genocide and then released from Israeli prisons in February 2025 as part of a prisoner exchange, Abu Sahloul said that religious practices inside prison were heavily constrained.
“The [Israeli] occupation deprived us of copies of the Quran,” he said. “They prevented us from praying freely or even hearing the call to prayer.”
But Abu Sahloul explained that did not stop him from teaching the Quran to others.
“We began teaching others to memorise,” Abu Sahloul explained. “Some prisoners memorised chapters, while others eventually memorised the entire Quran. Some of them are here among us today.”
Freedom brought Abu Sahloul back to his family – but the reunion was tragically brief.
Months after his release, an Israeli air strike killed nine members of his family.
“On July 18, I lost my mother and my nine-year-old son, Islam, along with my brother and his children,” he said painfully.
“I dedicate today’s recitation to the souls of my mother, my child, and my entire family.”
Despite the loss, Abu Sahloul said the Quran remains a source of his strength.
“I will keep reciting the Quran until my last breath,” he said. “My message to my jailer and killer is that we live through the Quran.”
Rebuilding religious spaces
Among the institutions trying to preserve Gaza’s Quranic tradition is the Dar al-Quran and Sunna Institute, one of roughly 30 religious educational institutions severely affected by the war.
Despite the destruction of mosques and schools, organisers say they are working to revive Quranic learning wherever possible.
“Just as rain brings benefit wherever it falls, working for the sake of the Quran brings benefit wherever it is done,” said Ahmed al-Saafin, a director at the institute.
“With so many mosques destroyed, we could no longer run our programmes as we once did,” he explained.
“But even in displacement camps, you will find people gathering to revise the Quran together. They cling to it as a path to healing from the trauma they have endured.”
The institute itself suffered heavy damage, losing staff members and large amounts of educational data during the war.
But efforts are under way to revive the institute.
“By the beginning of the [October 2025] ceasefire, we managed to establish 67 spaces for teaching the Quran,” al-Saafin said. “Within just five months, that number grew to 300 children, women, and men, and it continues to increase.”
But the gathering at al-Shafii Mosque marked something larger.
“The ‘Elite of Quran Memorisers’ session is unique because it gathers the most dedicated Quran memorisers in Gaza,” al-Saafin said.
“It comes after two years of genocidal war to send a message that Gaza is unbreakable. Through the Quran, our souls continue to live, and our minds continue to grow. By sunset, the reciters will have completed the entire holy book, and then return to lives still marked by loss, displacement, and uncertainty but committing the verses of the Quran once again to preserve their overwhelmed hearts.”