Gaza Strip: A heart-wrenching video circulating on social media has drawn widespread global attention after showing a young Palestinian man in Gaza burning his late fiancee’s wedding dress amid the ruins of war.
The footage, shared by Gaza-based journalist Nahed Hajjaj on Instagram, captures the man standing beside a mannequin dressed in a white bridal gown. Set against the backdrop of destroyed buildings, he pours fuel on the dress and sets it ablaze, as a bouquet of red roses and a card lie nearby — symbols of a wedding that was never meant to be.
The scene also includes a small blue card that the man burns, reportedly inscribed with the words: “Between us is a love of a lifetime. 2018–2025.”
In his caption, Hajjaj wrote, “In Gaza, stories don’t end in celebration… they end in a burning that feels like the last breath of the soul, in an image the world will never understand — except those who have lived loss.”
He added that the man set fire to the gown following his fiancée’s death in an Israeli airstrike, describing the act as a reflection of grief shared by countless families in the besieged enclave.
Watch the video here
The video continues to show the man watching as the flames consume the gown — a silent expression of grief that has resonated with millions around the world.
Social media users flooded the comments with condolences and heartbreak emojis.
“The injustice and pain in Gaza is too much to bear,” one user wrote. Another added, “May Allah heal his heart and have mercy on her soul.”
Some users described the act as a “symbol of eternal love and loss”, while others called it “a powerful protest against the destruction of Gaza’s dreams.”
Behind the barriers, love finds a way in the West Bank
In a separate viral video from the central West Bank, a Palestinian groom was filmed receiving his bride at an iron gate north of Ramallah, where Israeli restrictions prevented her family from entering the village.
The couple met briefly at the gate, separated by metal barriers and barbed wire — a bittersweet encounter that resonated as another symbol of love enduring under occupation.
