Fishing in Gaza, Stories of suffering and misery

Today, more than 3700 fishermen suffer from the Israeli current restrictions which allow them to fish only up to 3 nautical miles off the Gaza coast, in spite of the deal between the UN and Israel in 2002 which allowed for fishing up to 12 miles off the coast and the Oslo Accords of 1993 that gave the Palestinian the right of fishing for up to 20 miles.

The daily Israeli practices against the fishermen like confiscation their fishing tools and forcing them to strip and swim naked have forced many fishermen to give up their profession and try to look for other professions that could provide them and their families with the minimum income.

Abdurrahman Abu Riyala _ A fisherman from Gaza_ said, *”The reduced income means that we have to look for the aids that come from the local or the international institutions”*.

He added, *”Most of the time we don’t get any fish and if we try to go a little deeper, we face many problems like shooting on us and even abduction”*.

*”Being a fisherman in Gaza means being ready to face death every day”*
Ibraheem Saad Said these words while he was preparing his old boat to go into the sea. He added, “After the current restrictions which limited our allowed distance to 3 nautical miles, we cannot get enough fish for our families or for selling.

He added *”Because of the Israeli practices, Fish is now too expensive for most Palestinians, who are suffering through a severe economic crisis caused by enforced closure”*.

He pointed out that one day, the Israeli forces confiscated his fishing net which cost him 10,000shikles. He said, *”The fishing net is too expensive but it is very important for my work and losing one can prevent me from working for months”*.

According to the fishermen syndicate, Since the abduction of Ggila’ad Shaleet the Israeli soldier in 2006, at least ten fishermen have been killed, and about 200 injured besides 10’s abducted.

The World Food Program states the Israeli ban of fishing has led to deprive Gazans from very important food source, in addition to the Israeli closure of the borders which partially deprive the Palestinians from the animal imports. According to that, many cases of malnutrition and low hemoglobin have appeared especially among children.