MOHAMMED OMER
A view of a fiberglass repair workshop for fishing boats supervised by the United Nations at the Gaza seaport, Nov. 29, 2022. Israel allowed fiberglass into the Palestinian enclave for the first time since 2007 under international supervision. Israel bans scores of items needed to repair fishing boats, claiming materials can be used for military purposes. (MOHAMMED ABED/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January/February 2023, pp. 24-25
Gaza on the Ground
By Mohammed Omer
“GAZA’S FISHING INDUSTRY is dying,” says Nizar Ayash, head of the Palestinian Fishermen Syndicate. He pauses a moment and continues, “We are watching its gradual destruction.”
In the old days, before Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2006, Ayash would sit just before sunrise by the harbor and await the safe return of the fishermen with their catches: sardines, sea bream, Sultan Ibrahim, sea bass, mullet, meagre and gilt-head bream. His office colleagues would sit outside, preparing Gazan hot tomato and dill salad with toasted bread, awaiting the night or early morning’s catch.
These days, Ayash cannot always enjoy this friendly gathering; often the fishermen come bearing grim news. In the past, the fishermen would have had fish with their early breakfast. They continue to make their salad but today there are fewer fish. Gazan fishermen were once known for making tatbilit samak (fish marinade). Today, the catch is sent to the local hisba, the fish market, yet sales do not cover the cost of boat fuel and lighting.
Under the Oslo Accords signed in 1993, Israel is obligated to permit fishing up to 20 nautical miles, but this has never been implemented and over the years Israel has set varying limits to the fishing zone, which has been reduced to as low as 3 nautical miles. Ayash explains: “Israel has restricted fishing rights off the coast of Gaza from 25 to 6 miles,” a narrow over-fished area. “The Israeli occupation has increased its attacks on the seashore targeting fishermen and their fishing gear,” Ayash explains. The fishing trade is Gaza’s second largest, after agriculture; there are 4,500 fishermen in Gaza and 1,000 fishing boats, supporting some 50,000 family members. “The fishermen are critical for Palestinian food security,” he continues, and they “are being targeted by gunboats.” Each time they set off to fish, “they risk imprisonment or death.”
Hundreds of fishermen have been killed or arrested off the coast Gaza for fishing beyond 3 nautical miles; their job is among the most dangerous. The Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, a non-governmental human rights organization, stated that in 2022, there were over 441 violations by the Israeli navy against fishermen who were shot at, arrested or had their fishing boat confiscated; 64 were arrested, 21 were injured and 23 boats were confiscated.
INDUSTRY COLLAPSE
“Gazan fishermen can no longer support their families,” Ayash says. Israel has banned the import of spare parts for maintaining fishing vessels. Most boats have now been destroyed or fallen into disrepair. Ayash expects the fishing industry in Gaza to collapse and the number of fishermen to halve.
In the last week of November, Israeli gunboats opened fire on Palestinian fisherman Mubarak Baker, shooting him in the foot. He sailed back while bleeding and then had to await evacuation to Shifa Hospital’s emergency room.
Palestinian fishermen complain that they cannot work freely. Israel claims that they are permitted to fish across an area spanning 15 nautical miles to the south and 6 to the north of the Strip. The reality is that these fishermen can sail no further than 3 nautical miles before coming under fire, limiting them to a small over-fished area.
Another Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor report states that poverty levels have increased by nearly 30 percent over the last 16 years, while unemployment has risen by 26.6 percent. This report links these figures with import restrictions upon reparatory materials and spare parts.
A NIGHTMARE FOR REPAIRS
In Gaza City, Fawzi Alnajjar states that over the past three years, he has only worked one day per week.
“I have to visit the mechanic every week; I am accumulating unaffordable debt,” he says, while attempting to mend leaks in his boat himself. When he finally sets sail, the leaks soon force his return; “We are being suffocated by these restrictions.” Alnajjar calls upon the international community to put pressure on Israel to allow spare parts into Gaza’s coastal enclave.
There was a time when repairs were easy and affordable. With the blockade, however, they have become costly and scarce; some fishermen have given up, dumping their no-longer-salvageable boats in the cemetery. Ayash insists that if Israeli restrictions are not relaxed, Gaza’s fishing sector risks complete collapse; the number of unserviceable boats continues to grow. Some are already 30 years old.
In defense of its actions, Israel cites its own security needs; the fishermen argue that their fishing boats aren’t security threats and that they have been forced into poverty.
Following months of negotiations, a U.N.-initiated program was implemented to allow the import of repair materials for fishing vessels. However, related requests must still be submitted to and approved by Israel. In mid-November 2022, the first batch of these materials entered Gaza—the first since 2007. The shipment included 227 kg of fiberglass; 500 kg of polyester resin; and 31 kg of blue, white and yellow paint.
Many fishermen have no savings left. As Alnajjar explains, you will not find a fisherman who has not been forced to sell his wife’s engagement gold. Alnajjar knows that his 20-year-old boat is no longer fit to sail. Imported fiberglass is only a temporary solution; he must often sail back manually when his motor breaks down.
“It’s a tough job but we knew this when we inherited the trade from our fathers and great-grandfathers,” the 59-year-old man says.
Most Gazan fishermen are left with few options. They must either accept bankruptcy, leaving their disused boats on the roadside, or surrender them for spare parts.
SUSPENDED LIVES
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently released a report titled “Gaza’s Youth: Suspended lives, fading opportunities,” presenting the findings of an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) survey which found that 90 percent of young people in Gaza believe their lives to be “abnormal.” At least 20 percent of Gazans are between 18 and 29 years old. Almost all these individuals believe that “the next phase of their lives will continue to be defined by the same critical challenges they have faced in recent years.”
Approximately 66 percent of respondents stated that they depend on their families for income, while 40 percent said they had “no hope of finding a job opportunity in the next 15 years.”
The ability to purchase motors, propellers or fiberglass for their boats has become a dream for fishermen like Alnajjar; the tough reality is that, even should these become available, Israeli gunboats remain unlikely to allow passage into deeper waters, where bigger fish are found.
“Someone has to say enough is enough,” Alnajjar insists. “Gazan fishermen have seen enough suffering. The time has come for us to be allowed to survive.”
Award-winning journalist Mohammed Omer reports regularly on the Gaza Strip.
