Gaza Herald _Gaza’s fishermen remain barred from accessing the sea as Israeli forces continue to enforce severe restrictions on the fishing sector, killing, injuring, and detaining fishermen while cutting off a vital source of food and income for thousands of Palestinian families.
Zakaria Bakr, head of the General Union of Workers in Fishing and Marine Production, said the Israeli blockade on Gaza’s fishermen has intensified over the years, with restrictions and harassment eventually escalating into a complete ban on access to the sea since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023.
Bakr said Israeli forces prevent fishermen from reaching the sea, while any attempt to sail is met with gunfire and shelling from Israeli military boats. As a result, even a fishing trip can expose fishermen to the risk of being killed, wounded, or detained.
Four fishermen have been killed since the beginning of this year, while 32 have been detained and 24 wounded, including fishermen who sustained serious injuries, according to Bakr.
He said fishermen are often held under harsh conditions for extended periods, with their families left without information about their whereabouts or fate.
Several fishermen also remain in Israeli detention years after their arrest. Some have been held for nearly seven years, while others remain imprisoned even after completing their sentences.
The fishing ban imposed when the war began has become the longest period in which Gaza’s fishermen have been prevented from entering the sea and practicing their profession. Fishing had long served as a primary source of income for thousands of families across the besieged enclave.
With access to the sea blocked, some fishermen have attempted to return to work using primitive paddle-powered boats known as “hasaka.” Many have struggled to repair and restore the damaged boats, but they can travel only a few meters from the shoreline, leaving fishermen exposed to even greater danger.
Bakr said approximately 95% of Gaza’s fishing sector has been destroyed since the beginning of the war. More than 233 fishermen have been killed, over 140 wounded, and more than 150 detained.
The continued closure of Gaza’s waters has consequences far beyond the loss of fishermen’s livelihoods. It has deprived thousands of families of their primary source of income while further restricting access to one of Gaza’s most important sources of food at a time when the enclave’s economy and essential infrastructure have suffered widespread destruction.
For Gaza’s fishermen, the sea that once sustained entire communities has become another front in the ongoing siege, with access to their own waters denied and any attempt to earn a living carrying the risk of death, injury, or detention.
