They were honored in a ceremony held in Deir al-Balah in the center of the Gaza Strip this past weekend, despite the tragic conditions that the residents of the enclave have endured as a result of the Israeli genocidal war.

The Annan stadium near the entrance to Deir al-Balah hosted the ceremony, which was attended by families, religious scholars and prominent figures.

It included playing the Palestinian national anthem, performing religious songs and supplications, and then honoring the Quran memorizers.

Bilal Abutayr, a representative of the Hedai Foundation, told Anadolu Agency that this ceremony reflects the efforts of the foundation's network of schools in the Gaza Strip, which serves more than 10,000 students through its educational and relief programs.

He added that the distinguished students endured difficult conditions during the Israeli genocidal war, and some of them lost their homes and relatives, with some being the only survivors of their families.

Abutayr added that the memorizers endured losses difficult conditions such as power outages, the heat of tents, hunger and water shortages but kept memorizing the Quran to convey the message that this land has something worth living for and that the Palestinian people are a dynamic and resilient people who live by the Quran.

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Shazi Hamad, one of the honored memorizers, also said that given the displacement, bombing and destruction that the Gaza Strip witnessed, memorizing the Quran was not easy.

He said that despite the displacement, bombing, and destruction, “I was very insistent on memorizing the Holy Quran, and thank God, I memorized it with the blessing of God and the support of my parents and sisters.”

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