?A Palestinian vendor prepares flower bouquets in his shop on Valentine's Day in Gaza City, on Feb. 14, 2019. Fronts of gift and flower shops in the Palestinian Gaza Strip were ornamented with rows of red roses and heart-shaped gadgets in celebration of Valentine's Day, which falls on Feb. 14 every year. However, the sales remained limited throughout the day, which were reflected in the complaints of merchants. (Xinhua/Stringer)
GAZA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Fronts of gift and flower shops in the Palestinian Gaza Strip were ornamented with rows of red roses and heart-shaped gadgets in celebration of Valentine's Day, which falls on Feb. 14 every year.
However, the sales remained limited throughout the day, which were reflected in the complaints of merchants.
This year, Valentine's Day came amid very difficult conditions as the Gaza Strip has been placed for the 12th year under a tight Israeli blockade.
For Waseem Abdo, who has been in the business of selling flowers and gifts for 18 years, the festivity has never been worse in the terms of people's reluctance to buy flowers and gifts to celebrate the day.
"The deteriorating economic conditions have forced many to rethink their spending habits, which negatively affected traders who spent much in preparation for the festivity," Abdo told Xinhua.
Local merchants said the difficult economic conditions in Gaza made the population focus more on providing basic needs rather than social events such as Valentine's Day.
Gaza has been placed under a tight Israeli blockade since Islamic Hamas movement seized the territory after routing forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.
A report released by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday showed that the unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip reached 52 percent in 2018 compared with 44 percent in 2017.
According to the same report, female participation in the labor force in the Gaza Strip does not exceed 26 percent.
A local Gaza-based committee resisting the Israeli blockade warned in January that Israel's embargo has led to a severe humanitarian deterioration in all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip.
The committee said 90 percent of factories in the impoverished densely-populated enclave have been badly damaged because of Israel's blockade and the growing unemployment.
In Gaza, 85 percent of the population are living under the poverty line, with per-day income just hitting two U.S. dollars, the committee added.
Valentine's Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated in many countries around the world.
Gazans started to mark Valentine's Day when Palestinians in exile returned from countries like Egypt, Lebanon and Syria after the peace accords between the Palestinian National Authority and Israel were signed in 1994.
Internet and satellite channels have also helped spread the idea among educated secular young people.
However, the event is not largely celebrated in Gaza as the majority of people there are conservative Muslims who only mark Muslim holidays.
Still, Cupid is a welcomed guest in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Some Gazans use the occasion to escape the dire conditions of the Israeli blockade, the repeated clashes with Israel that left thousands dead, as well as the internal division since 2007.
"Celebrating Valentine's Day is getting popular in Gaza, but the economic situation is an obstacle that does not help people widely observe it," said Fidaa Abu Hadayd, a customer who was inspecting gifts displayed in a shop.
The 37-year-old woman pointed out that almost everyone wants to celebrate the day, "but the economic and even psychological situations have overshadowed the commercial movement."
Abdullah Siyam, a 19-year-old student at the Faculty of Engineering, bought a small bouquet of red flowers and put several bars of chocolate inside.
"I'm single and not in a relationship, but I bought this gift to mother who deserves celebration on such an occasion," Siyam said, flashing a shy smile.
