Hundreds of Gazans flee daily to the seaside Corniche a few hours before sunset to practice their sporting activities during Ramadan , away from the noise and traffic congestion within the city.

Running, walking, cycling and aerobics are among the most popular sports activities that have been revived by the locals in the Strip, which is home to more than two million people.

Muslims fast about 13 hours a day in the month of Ramadan, which is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, while housewives are interested in preparing breakfast meals, in addition to sweets and Ramadan juices.

However, the hours of fasting seem difficult and long for Hamada Lafi, 32, from Gaza, especially since he misses his daily cups of coffee, as he says while he was with his friends.

Hamada, a father of two, told Xinhua, "Due to the lack of caffeine in my body as a result of the change in my daily routine, I often feel tense and nervous, not to mention lethargy and laziness during the day in Ramadan, which may force me into quarrels with my family members." .

And Hamada continues, while wearing a sports uniform, that he started walking and jogging on the Corniche from the first day of Ramadan, which gave him a state of calm and activity, unlike before.

He notes that sports taught him how to manage his lifestyle, saying: "I will not give up coming to the Corniche anymore, and I will continue to practice my sporting activity early in the morning before going to my job every day after Ramadan."

As for the young woman, Sanaa Khalaf, she expressed enthusiasm as she planned to take advantage of her long fasting hours to lose about 12 kilograms of her weight during the month of Ramadan by adopting a walking and jogging program.

Khalaf, a 37-year-old mother of three, told Xinhua, "I relied on a daily sports program on the Corniche near her house, because I do not have enough money to register in any sports club."

Khalaf added, "Walking is a sport that is available to all and is inexpensive and does not require tools and equipment. It is sufficient for it to have a great impact on health in terms of stimulating blood circulation, and maintaining it increases physical fitness and improves general mood."

She explained, "Exercise means that we are healthy people, take care of our bodies, and get rid of our negative energy resulting from various bad situations."

The Corniche is approximately 40 kilometers long, and it is the only outlet for the population suffering from the political and economic decline since Israel imposed its siege on it in the summer of 2007.

About 71 percent of the population of the Strip suffers from depression as a result of the repercussions of the Israeli blockade, as well as the military wars that the region was exposed to, according to statistics issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics last February.

The psychologist from Gaza, Dardah Al-Shaer, praised the change in the societal culture during the month of Ramadan, as many Palestinians adopted sports activities as a basic routine in the holy month.

"In the past years, we were witnessing hundreds of internal problems among the population, who challenged their psychological pressure because of fasting for long hours, which resulted in injuries," al-Shaer told Xinhua.

Al-Shaer adds that "practicing sports in beautiful, open, natural places helps a person breathe deeply and meditate, and thus get rid of the negative energy he gets due to the pressures of life or the negative situations he goes through during the day."

The active movement associated with the month of Ramadan makes the sea corniche a commercial destination for seasonal business owners such as sellers of drinks, vegetables and nuts to earn some money.

Palestinian Firas Obeid, a resident of Al-Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City, heads daily to the west of the city to display different types of vegetables on a table opposite the Corniche, hoping to sell them to visitors.

Obaid, 22, told Xinhua, "The active movement on the Corniche made me have customers who buy from me daily whatever vegetables they like."

Obeid, who appeared happy on his face, added that the financial return behind this is about $20, and this is enough to provide for the needs of my family members during the month of Ramadan.