GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip ? The brown cow struggled, stamped and screamed, but eventually succumbed to the butcher’s knife Sunday and crashed to the ground with a final thud in the traditional animal slaughter marking the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

The four-day holiday, also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, is one of the most important dates on the Muslim calendar and nearly all work comes to a halt for the celebration. The streets throughout the Gaza Strip, one of the most crowded places on earth, were nearly empty Sunday.

Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia marked the occasion with a message meant to boost the morale of Palestinians, after more than three years of violence with Israel.

“On this occasion, we remember our martyrs and our prisoners and we remember our occupied and stolen land. We confirm our persistence and the persistence of our people to make real our legitimate national rights,” he said.