Both are dressed in black and perched on the remains of the wrecked statue of the unkown soldier after which the park is named, destroyed months ago during clashes between the Hamas and Fatah parties.

Mai and Sewar came here to enjoy the Eid holiday in a public place in Gaza. Many other children ran around playing or sitting with their families soaking up the warm Gaza sun.

Besides the gardens, there is another major public entertainment place for Gazans, the Gaza Zoo that was created in 1996.

The zoo, which is the largest in Gaza, welcomes dozens of children and parents during Eid, many more than throughout the rest of the year.

Tamer al-Qerem, a doctor from the Gaza refugee camp of al-Shati', sat watching the zoo's two lions as his two young children ran around playing.

"I came here for the sake of my children so they can enjoy some time away from their [miserable] living conditions with the continuous Israeli attacks as well as the factional infighting between Fatah and Hamas," said al-Qerem.

Al-Qerem explained he does not usually come to the zoo for one main reason, "the lack of good mood or joyfulness amidst Gaza's dire circumstances because of Israeli actions as well as the Hamas-Fatah infighting that has replaced love with hatred."

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