JERUSALEM/RAFAH, Gaza - Palestinians prepared for Ramadan in a sombre mood, with heightened security measures by Israeli police and the spectre of war and hunger in Gaza overshadowing the normally festive Muslim holy month as talks to secure a ceasefire stalled.

Thousands of police have been deployed around the narrow streets of the Old City in Jerusalem, where tens of thousands of worshippers are expected every day at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, one of the holiest sites in Islam.

The area, also considered the most sacred place by Jews who know it as Temple Mount, has been a longstanding flashpoint for trouble. It was one of the starting points of the last war in 2021 between Israel and Hamas, the movement that controls Gaza.

That 10-day conflict has been dwarfed by the current Israeli offensive in Gaza, which is now in its sixth month. It was sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct 7 in which some 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's relentless assault on Gaza has already killed at least 31,000 people and drawn increasing alarm across the world due to a growing risk of famine.

After some confusion in February when hard-right Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said he wanted restrictions on worshippers at Al-Aqsa, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the numbers admitted would be similar to 2023.

"This is our mosque and we must take care of it," said Mr Azzam Al-Khatib, director-general of the Jerusalem Waqf, the religious foundation that oversees Al-Aqsa. "We must protect the presence of Muslims at this mosque, who should be able to enter in big numbers peacefully and safely."

Depending on lunar observations, Ramadan will begin on March 11 or 12.

But in contrast to previous years, the usual decorations around the Old City have not been put up and there was a similar sombre tone in towns across the occupied West Bank, where around 400 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with security forces or Jewish settlers since the start of the war.

"We decided this year that the Old City of Jerusalem won't be decorated out of respect for the blood of our children and the elders and the martyrs," said Mr Ammar Sider, a community leader in the Old City.

Police said they were working to ensure a peaceful Ramadan and had taken extra measures to crack down on what they described as provocative and distorted information on social media networks. They added that 20 people have been arrested on suspicion of incitement to terrorism.

"The Israel Police will continue to act and allow for the observance of Ramadan prayers safely on the Temple Mount, while maintaining security and safety in the area," the police said in a statement.

For the rest of the Muslim world, Israel's policing of Al-Aqsa has long been among the most bitterly resented issues and, in February, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called on Palestinians to march to the mosque at the start of Ramadan.

In 2023, clashes that erupted when police entered the mosque compound drew condemnation from the Arab League as well as Saudi Arabia, with which Israel had been seeking to normalise diplomatic ties, extending its push to build ties with regional powers including the United Arab Emirates.

Ceasefire hopes

Hopes for a ceasefire, which would have allowed Ramadan to pass peacefully and enabled the return of at least some of the 134 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, appear to have been disappointed, with talks in Cairo apparently stalled.

In the ruins of Gaza itself, where half of the 2.3 million population are squeezed into the southern city of Rafah, many living under plastic tents and facing a severe shortage of food, the mood was correspondingly sombre.

"We made no preparations to welcome Ramadan because we have been fasting for five months now," said Ms Maha, a mother of five, who would normally have filled her home with decorations and stocked her refrigerator with supplies for the evening Iftar celebrations when people break their fast.

"There is no food, we only have some canned food and rice, most of the food items are being sold for imaginary high prices," she said via chat app from Rafah, where she is sheltering with her family.

In the West Bank, which has seen record violence for more than two years and a further surge since the war in Gaza, the stakes are also high, with volatile towns like Jenin, Tulkarm or Nablus braced for further clashes.

In Israel, fears of car ramming or stabbing attacks by Palestinians have also led to heightened security preparations.

For many of those waiting, there is little alternative but to hope for peace.

"Ramadan is a blessed month despite the fact this year is not like every year, but we are steadfast and patient, and we will welcome the month of Ramadan as usual, with decorations, songs, with prayers, fasting," said Ms Nehad El-Jed, who was displaced with her family in Gaza.

"Next Ramadan, we wish for Gaza to come back, hopefully all the destruction and the siege in Gaza will change, and all will come back in a better condition." REUTERS