Gaza fishermen struggle to survive amid Israel's maritime restrictions

Two fishermen were killed and about 30 others have been injured by Israeli naval forces this year

GAZA: Palestinian fisherman, Said Habil, from the Gaza Strip, rides the waves everyday on his shabby boat in an attempt to catch fish despite numerous tight Israeli restrictions that hinder his work.

Habil, who is over 60 years old, spent more than two-thirds of his life working as a fisherman. The old man complained since the Israeli blockade on Gaza in 2007, it was the worst time during his long career.

Under the Oslo Peace Accords, signed between Israel and Palestine Liberation Organisation in 1993, Palestinian fishermen are allowed to fish in an area of 20 nautical miles (37km).

But Israeli Navy has reduced the fishing zone down to six miles, and sometimes to only three miles offshore, after Israel imposed a tight blockade on the enclave following Islamic Hamas movement's violent takeover of the seaside territory in 2007.



Israel said it imposed the maritime blockade in order to staunch arms smuggling into the coastal enclave after Hamas seized Gaza.

On his return to the Gaza seaport in the morning, Habil, who is also a refugee, showed satisfaction with a limited fishing catch that can provide the minimum requirements for his 10-member family.

"We are satisfied with what we get. I hope that things will get better," Habil told Xinhua as he emptied fish into small boxes to be sold to fish sellers in a nearby market.

In Gaza, fishermen usually spend the whole night on the sea and sail back to the only fishing harbor at daybreak.

The comparison between the past and the present is difficult for Habil, who inherited the fishing career from his father and passed it to his sons.

"Fishing was profitable in the past. It was easy to navigate the sea, we could reach al-Arish in Egypt, we did not have problems and our livelihoods were abundant," he sadly recalled.



The old man added that the situation nowadays is extremely difficult, pointing out that Israeli harassment and restrictions "turned the sea into inferno."

The sardine fishing season, which is considered golden for Gaza fishermen, has recently ended, leaving Habil and his colleagues fumed since the Israeli restrictions deprived them of a plentiful seasonal catch.

"The sardine season starts in April and ends in May each year...Israel usually tightens its restrictions against us during this season," Habil explained as he finished moving his fish into the plastic boxes.

Habil's youngest son, Mohammed, who is father of three children, has tried to find another and more comfortable job, but the deteriorating economic conditions and the high unemployment rates in Gaza have left no options for him but to work with his father.

"In addition to the restrictions of the Israeli navy, we face difficulties in providing work supplies, especially the 300 liters of fuel needed everyday for the motorboat," he said.

Dozens of Palestinian fishermen have been killed and hundreds have been arrested by Israeli naval forces in recent years.



Coordinator of fishermen's committees in the Gaza Strip, Zakaria Baker, said two fishermen were killed and about 30 others were injured by Israeli naval forces since the beginning of this year.

Baker said that since January, the Israeli forces arrested more than 50 fishermen, adding that they were usually released after hours of detention and investigation.

The Israeli navy has also confiscated 18 Palestinian fishing boats since the beginning of the year, according to Baker.

There are about 3,800 fishermen working on more than 700 boats in Gaza Strip, where 70,000 Palestinians are making a living out of fishing.

"90 percent of these people are under the threat of poverty as a result of the difficulties and restrictions caused by Israel," Baker said.