Khan Younis, Gaza Strip \u2013<\/strong> On the blue, wavy surface off the Khan Younis seaport, two Palestinian fishermen paddled their small, battered boat nearly 200 metres (656 feet) into the sea. On the shore, Dawood Sehwail, a 72-year-old Palestinian fisherman, stood inspecting a torn net, his eyes fixed on the waves as if reading a language only he understands.<\/p>\n Displaced from Rafah, further to the south, in May 2024 as a result of Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza, Sehwail now comes daily to the water\u2019s edge, not just to fish, but to have an escape, to study the sea, and to remember.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n \u201cThe feeling never gets old,\u201d he said, with a sparkle in his eye that defies his age. \u201cYou come to see what wonders the sea might still have for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe were always shackled [by Israel],\u201d Sehwail said quietly. \u201cBut one period was less harsh than another.\u201d<\/p>\n Even before October 2023, when Israel started its genocidal war on Gaza, the Palestinian enclave\u2019s fishermen operated under heavy restrictions imposed by Israel. Fishing zones were repeatedly reduced. Maritime boundaries outlined in agreements since the 1993 Oslo Accords were rarely implemented on the water. The distances fishermen were permitted to travel in the sea constantly shifted, often shrinking without warning.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter every Israeli aggression, the consequences fell on us,\u201d Sehwail explained. \u201cWe were supposed to [be allowed to] go further into the sea, but the occupation kept pushing us back.\u201d<\/p>\n For a coastal territory, the sea should have been a source of wealth, stability, and fresh food. Instead, under Israel\u2019s blockade that controls Gaza\u2019s land, air, and sea since 2007, it has become another mechanism of control and persecution.<\/p>\n Sehwail once owned a stone distribution business, but was forced to shut it down after the Israeli blockade on Gaza tightened in 2007. He eventually turned to fishing, a skill he had learned as a child, and which he once thought he had abandoned.<\/p>\n \u201cOur profession is day by day,\u201d he said. \u201cIt used to be that, if you work, and are lucky, you can sell your catch and feed your family. If you\u2019re very lucky, you save a little for the future of your children.\u201d<\/p>\n But within a few days of Israel\u2019s genocidal war, everything changed. Gaza\u2019s seaport was destroyed by Israeli air strikes. Israel also bombed fishing installations from north to south. Boats were burned or sunk. The sector collapsed almost instantly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Rafah fishermen had six fishing trawlers,\u201d Sehwail recalled. \u201cAll of them were bombed and burned. I tried to keep my own small boat and nets for as long as I could, but they were destroyed by the occupation just days before we were displaced in May 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n At Khan Younis port, the aftermath is no different. The harbour has turned into a crowded displacement site. Broken or burned boats are no longer vessels but tent supports, tied with ropes to hold fragile shelters in place.<\/p>\n A rusted metal skeleton of a trawler protrudes from the sand where displaced children now play around. But even in ruin, fishermen improvise.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we do now is try not to die,\u201d Sehwail said. \u201cWe borrow tools. Some even turn refrigerator parts into floating boards. We have no motors, only paddles. We use whatever is left.\u201d<\/p>\n Originally from the coastal village of Jourat Asqalan, depopulated of its Palestinian residents during the 1948 Nakba and the formation of Israel, Sehwail\u2019s bond with the sea runs generations deep. \u201cThe connection is powerful,\u201d he said. \u201cMy home in Rafah was also near the beach. Even in displacement, the sea keeps me company. But now my children and their families are scattered across displacement camps.\u201d<\/p>\n Material destruction has been only part of the toll for Gaza\u2019s fishermen. According to the Gaza Fishermen\u2019s Syndicate, at least 238 fishermen have been killed by Israel since October 2023, whether at sea or on land, among more than 72,000 Palestinians.<\/p>\n The sector once consisted of more than 5,000 fishermen providing for more than 50,000 family members, who depended on fishing as a primary source of income. And Israeli violations have continued since the \u201cceasefire\u201d began in October, with more than 20 fishermen reported to have been killed or detained.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sea is practically closed,\u201d said Zakaria Baker, the head of Gaza\u2019s Fishermen Syndicate, in a recent interview with Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n Baker explained that some fishermen do not risk venturing more than 800 metres (2,625 feet) offshore in small boats, as there is still uncertainty over how far they can go into the sea.<\/p>\n Standing on the shore, Sehwail pointed toward an Israeli naval boat.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are always there,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is no official clearance for us. We enter at our own risk. The farthest we can go is about 800 metres, and even that depends on their mood.\u201d<\/p>\n He described sudden chases by the Israeli navy: boats shot at or sunk, fishermen detained.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can see clearly what we are doing,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it depends on the soldier\u2019s mood whether he lets you fish or decides to shoot you dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael \u2018executed\u2019 fishing in Gaza,\u201d Sehwail said, repeating the phrase in pain. \u201cWhat we do now is not real fishing. It\u2019s risking your life for the hope of bringing back one or two fish to your tent.\u201d<\/p>\n Before the genocide, Gaza\u2019s fisheries sector played a vital role in food security and poverty alleviation. According to the United Nations, by the end of 2024, the sector was operating at less than 7.3 percent of its pre-October 2023 production capacity. The UN also estimated that 72 percent of Gaza\u2019s fishing fleet had been damaged or destroyed.<\/p>\n The collapse has severely affected food availability, income generation, and community resilience. The reduction of fishing access to less than a nautical mile (1.85km) has drastically limited both quantity and species variety.<\/p>\n \u201cThe further west we used to go, the more variety [of fish] we could find,\u201d Sehwail explained. \u201cBut now in shallow waters, you find only small quantities and mostly juvenile sardines that should be left to grow. But people needed whatever they could find.\u201d<\/p>\n Months of Israeli starvation have turned fresh protein into a rarity; thus, fish is a special luxury.<\/p>\n Even now, with the relative relief brought by the \u201cceasefire\u201d, fish seen in Gaza\u2019s markets are largely frozen imports, often more expensive than fresh local fish was before the genocide. Catastrophic economic collapse means many families cannot afford them.<\/p>\n Baker emphasised that rehabilitation and recovery require more than ceasefire declarations. \u201cNo materials or compensation have been allowed in so far,\u201d he said, \u201cIsraeli restrictions continue to block the entry of equipment. Fishermen need stable and safe conditions to return to work without fear of Israeli bullets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe fishermen are simple, poor people,\u201d Sehwail said. \u201cWe only want to live with dignity and provide for our families. Across Gaza from north to south, we\u2019re all in need of support to finally fish as we actually deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Khan Younis, Gaza Strip \u2013 On the blue, wavy surface off the Khan Younis seaport, two Palestinian fishermen paddled their small, battered boat nearly 200 metres (656 feet) into the sea. On the shore, Dawood Sehwail, a 72-year-old Palestinian fisherman, stood inspecting a torn net, his eyes fixed on the waves as if reading a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n
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Controlling the sea<\/h2>\n
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