GAZA STRIP, October 9, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – After more than 38 years of military closure, blockade and restricted movement, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are this year celebrating their best Ramadan ever.

"Everything has changed. We are finally breathing freedom," Mohamoud Al- Najjar, a resident of Al-Mawasi area, a coastal enclave south of the Strip between Rafah and Khan Yunis, told IslamOnline.net jubilantly.

"We have been living in a hell unable to move or visit our families.

"We were not even able to buy Ramadan essentials because of the around-the-clock Israeli closures and humiliation at Israeli checkpoints," he recalled.

Al- Najjar now boasts quick and easy daily trips to Khan Yunis where he can get his daily needs at the most reasonable prices.

Al-Mawasi suffered the most under the yoke of the occupation after Israeli bulldozers devastated vast swathes of its farm lands, reducing its overall space from 2,650 donums to 1,150.

Palestinian farmers were incurring losses of 30,000-50,000 shekels a day ($10,000) or six to ten tons of guavas due to the Israeli closures.

Israel withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip in September after 38 years of military presence, but maintains tight control over the strip’s airspace, harbor and crossings, turning it into an open-air prison.

The army pullout follows Israel's evacuation of 9,000 Jewish settlers from the Mediterranean strip of land and a corner of the West Bank, the first such move since the 1967 war.

Palestinians in the West Bank continue to suffer at Israeli checkpoints. (Reuters).

The Israeli withdrawal has brought a smile to the face of every Palestinian living in Al-Mawasi, now rejoicing better family ties during the Muslim holy month.

Ahmed Al-Hennawy, a 20-year-old university student, is now able to break the fast with his family.

"I can now easily go to university in Khan Yunis and come home to have iftar with my family.

Another daily aspect colored by the Israeli pullout from the areas is attending prayers in mosques.

"I also move around easily and spend more time in the mosque and on the shore, which was not possible before," Al-Hennawy said.

Abdul Raheem Farawneh agreed.

"Ramadan this year is different. Now, we are able to perform Tarawih prayer in the mosque, free and secured, which was not exactly the case before," he said.

Farawneh recalled that the majority of Al-Mawasi residents, especially the youths, were unable to leave their houses after mid-day because of the curfew slapped by the Israeli forces and their continued harassment.

Scholars and preachers are now giving regular sermons that are widely attended by the residents who were long deprived of such spiritualities, he added.

Some of the traditions linked to the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan are also coming back to life in Al-Mawasi.

Hasan Al-Laham , 22, shoulders the responsibility of waking up his neighbors to eat their sahur before starting their dawn-to-dusk fast.

Even the Ramadan lantern this year symbolizes the freedom of the Palestinians rather than a mere Ramadan specialty.

Hamada Al-Astal, 7, plays happily with a Ramadan lantern, in the shape of the Dome of the Rock, which his father bought him for the first time.

"They [the Israelis soldiers and settlers] used to attack my school mates. One of my friends was thrown on the barbed wires. Therefore, we did not dare to leave our houses except for emergency," he recalled.

Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers used to roam the streets of Al-Mawasi, harassing local residents.

"But now, we play freely and securely, and we gather everyday in the alley and play. Sometimes we even go to the beach."