Hamas has placed a ban on large and noisy weddings in the Gaza Strip so that local students can study for their exams in a peaceful and quiet atmosphere.
Arab weddings are knows to be long, noisy ordeals, and often participants fire guns in celebration.
A Hamas official said that with Gaza having recently been the scene of heavy fighting, local teenagers are understandably more prone to distraction from loud noises.
Some feared that this was another sign of Hamas' intention to impose heavy-handed conservative Muslim laws in Gaza, much like those imposed on Afghanistan by the Taliban.