250 Couples Marry at Mass Wedding on Gaza City Beachfront in Third 'Garment of Joy' Ceremony
GAZA CITY — A mass wedding brought together 250 Palestinian couples on Friday, Nov. 6, at the Maritime Club on the Gaza City beachfront. The ceremony was organized by the United Arab Emirates' humanitarian mission Operation Gallant Knight 3 as the third edition of its 'Thawb Al-Farah' (Garment of Joy) program, following ceremonies for 54 couples in Khan Younis in December 2025 and 300 couples in Deir al-Balah in April 2026.
Brides wore traditional white wedding gowns and carried bouquets, while grooms appeared in dark suits, some wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, as traditional music and national dancing filled the celebration. Operation Gallant Knight 3 spokesperson Azzam Shaath said the 250 grooms were selected through a public lottery: 11,622 people applied, and 1,335 met the program's eligibility requirements. Each couple also received cash assistance and essential home supplies. Dr. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said the initiative reflected the UAE's sustained humanitarian commitment to the people of Gaza.
The wedding coincided with the third anniversary of Operation Gallant Knight 3, launched on Nov. 5, 2023, under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. According to figures released by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the operation has delivered more than 136,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza, valued at about $4.16 billion. For many of the couples, war, displacement and financial hardship had delayed their weddings again and again; the mass ceremony, held among ruins and tents sheltering displaced families, offered them a moment of public celebration.
Source: Emirates News Agency (WAM
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加沙海滩黄昏（资料图），本届集体婚礼在 Gaza City 海滨举行。摄影 Gisha.org/Mohammed Yousif Azaiza，CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Gaza beach at sunset (file photo); this year's mass wedding was held on the Gaza City beachfront. Photo by Gisha.org/Mohammed Yousif Azaiza, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
