Gaza fishermen face the Israeli killing machine and siege
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During the Israeli occupation’s aggression against the Gaza Strip, accompanied by relentless bombing, bulldozing, and violations, the destruction of buildings and camps was not the only defining feature of the tragedy. The sea, once a lifeline for Palestinians, became another arena for violations, with the fishing sector and its fishermen bearing the brunt, finding themselves in direct confrontation with the occupation’s navy.
On the docks of Gaza’s seaport, now overflowing with tents of displaced people whose homes were demolished, the devastation stands as a testament to a war that left no room for silence.
The shattered boats and the rubble that blankets the port encapsulate yet another chapter of suffering that stretches westward toward the sea.
In a corner of the port, fisherman Samer al-Kurdi, 35, sat silently mending his net. Despite the short distance, he couldn’t hide his fear of the daily fishing trip.
“Soon I’ll set sail in my small boat,” he said in a low voice. “We only sail close to the shore, but even that’s no longer safe. I don’t know if I’ll ever return to my children.”
Samer explained that his family owned more than ten boats of varying sizes before the war, but they were all destroyed and sunk at sea during the bombing. The Israeli army also arrested several family members “just while they were fishing.”
He added angrily, “Today we sail in makeshift boats… just wooden husks that we risk everything. Even close to the shore, we’re being pursued.”
According to local sources, more than 220 fishermen were killed during the offensive, and the occupation forces arrested approximately 60 others, including at least 20 fishermen after the ceasefire came into effect on October 10, 2025.
Samer points out that the occupation forces arrested three of his cousins weeks ago while they were fishing near the port, after gunboats suddenly approached them and took them to an unknown location.
