GAZA, (PIC)
Adnan Al-Aqraa supports a family of 13 and has inherited the profession of fishing from his father and ancestors. Today, however, he stands helpless in the face of a harsh reality imposed by the Israeli genocide against the fishing industry, as the occupation forces close the sea to thousands working in it.
Adnan owns three small boats that he relies on to support his family. Nevertheless, the occupation’s restrictions on fishing have turned working at sea into a daily danger that threatens his life and the lives of his children.
Al-Aqraa says, “We tried to fish just a few meters from the shore, but even that posed a significant risk. The occupation does not want us to live, imposing a suffocating maritime blockade and preventing us from fishing. When we attempt to work close to the shore, we become direct targets for their fire.”
On the morning of February 10, 2024, his son Mahmoud, 24, went out to help him fish, unaware that this day would be the last of his life. At 7:15 AM, they saw him trying to move slightly further into the waters, but the occupation’s boats were waiting for him. They fired two shells directly at him, and before our eyes, he fell martyr in the sea.”
Al-Aqraa adds, “I couldn’t do anything to save him; I watched my son drown in his blood while the warships continued to target anyone who tried to get close.”
Majdi Al-Aqraa, Adnan’s cousin, was in a worse situation, having lost four boats due to Israeli bombing and destruction, which left him without his only source of livelihood.
Majdi says, “We lost everything. The occupation targeted our boats and burned them completely. They didn’t stop there; they destroyed the nets and equipment we rely on for our daily work. How will we live now? Where will we get food for our children?”
He continues, “I support a large family of 60 individuals, including my brothers and their children, and today we have no income. We used to live from fishing, but that is no longer an option. We now rely on charities and humanitarian aid, but for how long?”
Systematic destruction of infrastructure
According to Nizar Ayyash, the head of the fishermen’s syndicate in the Gaza Strip, the occupation army has not only targeted individuals but has also systematically destroyed the fishing infrastructure. He noted that all fishing ports have been destroyed due to direct Israeli bombardment, leading to the destruction of boats and equipment.
Ayyash explains that during the genocide, the occupation destroyed 144 equipment rooms, 300 small boats, and 80 large boats in the Gaza Strip. In the northern Gaza Strip, 10 equipment rooms and 40 boats were destroyed. In the central Gaza Strip, 70 boats were destroyed along with all their equipment. In Khan Yunis port, the entire port was destroyed, along with 80 small boats and 14 large boats, in addition to burning all the engines and nets.
He adds that the occupation targeted all the ice factories that fishermen rely on to preserve fish—two of them in Gaza port and one in Khan Yunis port. He pointed out that these factories were essential for preserving fish and ensuring they did not spoil, and now there is no alternative for the fishermen.
The occupation also destroyed, according to the fishermen syndicate’s head, the solar power systems that provide electricity to the fishing ports, as well as the water sources that supply their basic needs, emphasizing the occupation’s intention to completely cripple the fishing sector so that fishermen have no chance to return to their profession.
According to the fishermen syndicate, the number of martyrs among fishermen has exceeded 100, while more than 5,000 fishermen live in catastrophic humanitarian conditions, supporting over 50,000 people.
According to a fact sheet issued by the agricultural sector in the network of civil organizations, the fishing sector has suffered significant destruction during the Israeli military assaults, resulting in the martyrdom of 150 fishermen and affecting and destroying 87% of fishing boats, including 96 motorized boats and 900 non-motorized boats.
The paper, published on September 17, 2024, confirms that the infrastructure has been severely damaged, with the Gaza port and other fishing facilities destroyed, leading to indirect losses estimated at about $7 million monthly, in addition to depriving residents of fish wealth.
The paper indicates that fishermen face increasing challenges due to the restrictions imposed on fishing and the lack of equipment and fuel, in addition to thousands of fishermen losing their livelihood and becoming among the poorest groups in society. It calls for increased international and local support for the fishing sector by providing emergency aid and rehabilitating infrastructure, as well as enhancing humanitarian relief programs to ensure the delivery of essential food supplies to the population.
The destruction has not only affected fishermen but also women’s empowerment projects, such as “The Fishermen’s Wives Kitchen,” which provided income for dozens of families. The project, funded by the Spanish government, offered women the opportunity to work and support their families, but the occupation completely destroyed it, widening the circle of unemployment and poverty.
Pre-genocide restrictions
Before the Israeli genocide, the occupation forces imposed strict restrictions on fishermen in the Gaza Strip. According to the Oslo Accords signed in 1995, fishermen had the right to access up to 20 nautical miles from the shore. However, the occupation forces restricted this distance, and prior to the genocide, they did not allow Palestinian fishermen the freedom to work, imposing conditions related to fishing areas, primarily limiting the northern fishing area to no more than six nautical miles, while it increased to 12 in Gaza and central areas and to 15 south in Rafah, which are very limited ratios compared to the fishermen’s needs.
Hundreds of cases of gunfire, arrests, and confiscation of equipment have been recorded over the past years. Additionally, fishermen suffer from the ban on entry of spare parts and fishing equipment and are not allowed to bring in the fuel needed to operate engines, which exacerbates their suffering and reduces their ability to earn a living.
Despite agreements that took place several times before the destructive Israeli war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the occupation did not adhere to them, as it continued to pursue fishermen, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of dozens between 2017 and 2023.
During the months of the war, only a small number of fishermen, not exceeding dozens, risked working with simple nets to catch whatever fish they could to provide food for families amid the starvation that the occupation used against the residents of the Gaza Strip.
Scale of losses
Preventing fishermen from taking their boats to sea is one of the Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, as Hamas confirms that the occupation forces did not adhere to the freedom of movement for fishermen based on the humanitarian protocols from the first phase of the agreement.
Zachariah Bakr, coordinator of the fishermen syndicate in the Gaza Strip, states that the situation of fishermen after the war has not changed much, despite the ceasefire coming into effect on January 19, 2025, due to the Israeli ban on fishermen’s work.
Bakr adds that the occupation issued strict instructions to Gaza residents to stay away from the shore, whether for fishing or swimming, which suspended the fishing sector until now.
The syndicate’s coordinator explains that the fishing sector has experienced a complete halt for almost a year and a half, the longest period in the history of this sector.
According to Bakr, the occupation has destroyed all the means of life for Palestinian fishermen by destroying their homes, properties, and boats, in addition to 85% of Palestinian fishermen being displaced from the northern Gaza Strip to the central and southern areas of the region.
Regarding the losses that have affected the fishing sector, the syndicate’s coordinator points out that indirect losses due to the work stoppage are estimated at about $120 million, other than the destruction of 95% of the fishermen’s properties and all equipment related to the fishing sector.
It is estimated that the total losses of the fishing sector after the damage assessment phase will exceed $200 million.
