Crowds gathered in Gaza as 300 couples got together for a joint wedding celebration, the largest mass wedding in the region to date.

The event in Deir al-Balah saw couples selected from a draw of nearly 2,000 people.

The weddings were funded by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, as part of the United Arab Emirate’s Operation Gallant Knight 3, which is a humanitarian initiative to provide support to Palestinians in Gaza.

One of the brides, Thekra al-Masri, told the BBC how the celebration was bringing “hope for change” for displaced Gazans.

There has been a ceasefire in Gaza since last October, but it is fragile.

The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Israel responded by launching a military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, during which more than 72,560 people have been killed, according to the territory’s health ministry.

On 23 April, at least eight Palestinians, including three children, were killed in two Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to medics and first responders.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it had targeted what it called “a terrorist” who had approached troops in the area of the Yellow Line, which marks territory held by Israeli forces, and posed an immediate threat.

A Hamas spokesman condemned what he described as “the horrific massacre” and accused Israel of undermining efforts to implement their ceasefire agreement.