Gaza Herald_ Gaza’s fishing community is facing one of the most devastating periods in its history, as Israeli attacks and restrictions have turned the sea from a source of life into a space of constant danger. What was once a cornerstone of Gaza’s economy and culture has become a daily risk of death, arrest, and financial ruin, stripping thousands of families of their dignity and means of survival.
For generations, Gaza’s coastline sustained entire communities. Today, fishermen describe the sea as militarized and hostile, targeted as part of a broader policy aimed at dismantling one of the Strip’s last remaining productive sectors. Since the latest escalation, Israeli forces have intensified their assaults through live gunfire at sea, chases, arbitrary detentions, and the seizure or destruction of boats and equipment. Severe limitations on fishing zones have further crippled the sector, leaving families without income and pushing many deeper into poverty.
Zakaria Bakr, head of Gaza’s Fishermen Committees, says these violations have exacted a heavy human toll. At least 32 fishermen have been killed, dozens wounded, and 28 detained, many of whom remain imprisoned. He notes that the fishing industry is losing an estimated $5 million every month due to near-total paralysis, directly impacting around 5,000 families and rippling through related livelihoods such as fish markets, transport, and refrigeration services.
According to Bakr, cumulative losses in the fishing sector are approaching $700 million, driven by the destruction of infrastructure, including the fishermen’s union building, small fishing boats, vehicles, and essential equipment. Despite this devastation, Israeli authorities continue to ban most vessels from entering the sea, allowing only a handful of small boats to operate within extremely narrow limits, areas where fishermen are still routinely shot at, arrested, or robbed of their gear.
He warns that fishermen are working under constant threat, without protection or legal safeguards, in clear violation of international law. If these policies continue, Bakr cautions, the fishing sector may collapse entirely, worsening Gaza’s already dire humanitarian crisis. He calls for urgent international action to protect fishermen, lift maritime restrictions, and hold Israel accountable for the destruction inflicted on this vital livelihood.
Nizar Ayyash, mayor of Deir al-Balah and former head of the Palestinian Fishermen’s Syndicate, says Israeli measures have pushed fishermen to conditions “worse than zero.” With their only source of income destroyed, he explains, all fishermen in Gaza now live below the poverty line. He describes the dismantling of the sector as systematic, beginning with the destruction of ports, most notably Gaza’s main harbor, followed by the targeting of boats, nets, engines, and equipment.
Ayyash adds that Israel has blocked the entry of spare parts and repair materials, ensuring that even damaged boats cannot be restored. Fishing has effectively been shut down by force, leaving harbors deserted and boats reduced to debris. Thousands of families, he says, now face extreme hardship, mounting debt, and dependence on limited humanitarian aid.
“This is not incidental damage,” Ayyash stresses. “It is a deliberate policy to starve people, crush their resilience, and erase one of Gaza’s oldest and most essential sectors, one that is central to food security and social stability.”
He concludes by urging the international community and human rights organizations to act decisively: to stop these violations, reopen the sea to Gaza’s fishermen, and restore their fundamental right to work, survive, and live with dignity.
