Marriage rates over all have been on the decline in Gaza, and divorce is on the rise because of high poverty and unemployment rates, said the head of the Supreme Sharia Judicial Council in Gaza, Sheikh Hassan al-Jojo. Hamas itself has been trying to encourage marriage by paying the equivalent of $1,500 to any male who memorizes the Quran, a bit of cash to help finance the next step in life.

Sheikh Abdul Khaleq Buhaisi, another official with the Sharia Council, which has authority over weddings, said he preferred more traditionally arranged marriages, often through a khattaba — a woman who pays home visits in the company of the groom’s mother to search for brides.

The khattaba inspects the prospective bride: body shape, skin color, teeth, hair and other physical features. Traditionally, the polite way for a groom’s family to signal a proposal request is to ask to go to the bride’s family’s house for a cup of coffee.

With the Wesal service, a prospective groom receives a woman’s address when the two have exchanged “likes” online. The man then has 48 hours to propose, something still typically done over the traditional coffee at her home.

Kholoud Sobouh, 27, said she got tired of being shown to men who knocked on her door with their mothers to propose. Through Wesal, she and her fiancé met in less than 24 hours. She requested an educated man who didn’t smoke and who could secure a home in Gaza. Her fiancé, Tareq — Ms. Sobouh did not want to give his surname, for fear of being criticized for meeting her spouse online — said he wanted a tall, light-skinned woman with religious manners. It will be the first marriage for both.