Palestinian president sponsors mass wedding for 360 bribes, grooms in Gaza

A total of 360 brides and grooms were overwhelmed with joy on Tuesday during a mass wedding ceremony, sponsored by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The mass wedding was held at one of the local resorts on the seaside of Gaza. A large hall was ornamented with Palestinian flags and big posters of President Abbas and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat were hung on the walls.

Izzat Shaqoura, a 27-year-old broom, expressed his happiness when he and other grooms stood on a stage waving Palestinian flags, while their brides carried white flowers and wore white traditional Palestinian dresses.

"I'm very happy to celebrate marriage together with young men like me, and we all share hope for life and establishing happy families," said Shaqoura.

He told Xinhua that the ceremony is a joy that Gaza needs in light of the hardships of the living conditions.

His bride, Doha Joma'a, 24, told Xinhua that "the economic hardships in the Gaza Strip deprive so many youths from getting married. This mass wedding party is a mean of support that makes joy defeat sadness."

Hundreds of guests, including relatives and friends of the couples as well as notables and officials, were invited to the wedding. During the ceremony, traditional Palestinian music was played.

Ahmad Helles, member of the Central Committee of Abbas' Fatah Party, said in a speech on behalf of Abbas at the opening that "I hope this wedding will be an introduction for ending the internal Palestinian division."

The Gaza Strip has been ruled by Islamic Hamas movement since its violent takeover of the coastal enclave in the summer of 2007. Since then, Israel has been imposing a tight blockade on the territory.

Helles said that choosing the couples was made in accordance with certain terms, which included children of Palestinians were killed or wounded during the conflict with Israel.