A Palestinian woman sifts lightly roasted wheat, harvested before maturity (freekeh), in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, before being prepared to be used in soup during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
From cancelled iftar (fast-breaking) feasts to suspended mosque prayers, Muslims across the Middle East are bracing for the month of Ramadan fasting as the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic lingers.
The holy Muslims fasting month of Ramadan is a period for both self-reflection and socialising. Believers fast from dawn to dusk and then gather around a family or community meal each evening of Islam's holiest month.