GAZA CITY: The hours before iftar have seen a noticeable increase in Gazans walking along the Corniche of Gaza City.
Men, women, teens and some children walk in groups and individually before the call to Maghrib prayer, some of them on a daily basis, to spend Ramadan in a useful and healthy way.
“I have been practicing walking for years, almost daily, on normal days in the early morning hours, but in Ramadan two hours before iftar,” Midhat Jabali, 44, told Arab News.
“Walking is a sport for body health and heart. I practice it individually and sometimes with my wife and children. During Ramadan, I make sure to be here every day on the Corniche to walk for at least an hour before returning home to eat the meal,” Jabali said.
Jabali notes a significant increase in the number of Gazans of all ages practicing walking and jogging during Ramadan on Al-Rashid Street in Gaza City.
Sana’a Luzon, 48, a housewife, said that she goes out walking daily to the Corniche of the Gaza Sea, accompanied by her husband.
Luzon began the habit a couple of years ago after the outbreak of COVID-19 and continued to practice it after that.
“Staying at home is a cause of great distress for people, and has doubled our pressures in life. Our walking exercise relieves us a little,” she told Arab News.
Muhammad Abu Diab started walking many months ago because it helps him to overcome the daily pressure he is exposed to.
He lives in a neighborhood that is far from the seaside but he is keen not to leave this beautiful habit on the seashore.
Abu Diab bought a bike a few weeks ago to help him reach the seaside more quickly.
The habit of walking in Ramadan has become an opportunity for many fasting people to spend a healthy time in an open place where they practice sports, helping them to overcome health problems and daily pressures, and spend time until the moment of breaking the fast.
“The doctors advised me to practice walking, but I did not have time in the morning hours for this sport. I took advantage of the month of Ramadan to practice daily. Often we prepare our food and sit near the beach after walking and eat it here,” Rami Saidi, 55, told Arab News.
“I feel happy when I walk, and I also feel happy when I see others of all ages walking on the Corniche of Gaza. I feel that there is life and there is hope for a better and healthy future in light of the conditions we live in in Gaza,” he said.
Mahmoud Sheikh Ali, a nutritionist, told Arab News that walking has many health benefits for all — men, women and children.
Sheikh Ali added that this sport helps to activate all organs of the body, especially the respiratory system, and reduces the risk of disease and promotes bone health.
Ghada Al-Sousi, 23, said that she took up walking during Ramadan after her friends urged her to participate with them.
“Since last year, I have been coming on foot to the Corniche with my friends twice a week after the Asr prayer in order to walk and then return home, which helps us to overcome the stresses of the day as well as revitalize the body’s organs and lose some unnecessary fat in the body,” she told Arab News.
Psychologist Fadel Abu Hein said that exercising during Ramadan contributes to solving many problems, and it is a good habit that provides a person with positive energy.
“Walking, seeing landscapes, and breathing fresh air resist aging and viruses, because it enhances human immunity,” Abu Hein said.
