Gaza Strip, Feb. 18 -- Palestinians in the Gaza Strip performed the first Taraweeh prayers of Ramadan on Tuesday evening since the October ceasefire, gathering among the ruins of mosques and in makeshift prayer spaces set up in tents amid ongoing humanitarian hardship.

The prayers marked the beginning of the holy month after the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, confirmed that Wednesday, February 18, would be the first day of Ramzan following the sighting of the crescent moon.

For many residents, this is the first Ramzan in more than two years to be observed under a relative halt in large-scale fighting. However, the humanitarian crisis remains severe, with widespread destruction, displac...