Surfers in war-torn Gaza find rare moments of joy taking to the waves
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Despite the dire humanitarian crisis across the country Gaza StripA handful of Palestinian surfers in the area where a fragile ceasefire remains in place find joy – and relaxation – to ride the waves of the region’s Mediterranean coastal waters.
Surfer Tahsin Abu Assi in Gaza City said only three or four people were still surfing due to a shortage of surfboards and supplies to repair damaged boards.
Abu Assi carried his surfboard with him everywhere he endured during the two-year war because, in his opinion, he could not replace it with a new one.
“If something happened to it I won’t be able to get another one,” he said, noting that no boards have entered the Palestinian territory since 2007. Surfboards are among sports equipment and other products that are banned by Israel.
On Tuesday, Abu Assi was among three surfers who took to the sea off Gaza City port; Among them was Khalil Abu Jiab, who rode the high waves with his arms raised in joy.
After the war started, the Israeli army was heavily Naval activity restricted in GazaThe United Nations reported that some fishermen were attacked on land or at sea, including incidents involving fishermen using rowing boats.
Last year, Israel declared Gaza waters a “no-go zone”, banning fishing, swimming and access to the sea, making surfing risky.
Fishing and swimming in the waters off the north and south of Gaza are prohibited and dangerous. It is also risky to enter the waters off the center of Gaza, where Gaza City is located, due to Israeli patrols.
“Of course there is fear, but we cannot give up this sport,” Abu Assi said. “During the war, in the middle of the war, in the middle of the bombings and the planes above us, we would go down and do this sport.”
The waves in Gaza rarely get high enough to surf, so when they do, surfers drop everything to get into the water.
Intense clashes in the region eased after a while shaky truce It came into force on October 10, but Israel’s deadly attacks Hamas and Israel continued to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.
Israel’s war with Hamas began on October 7, 2023. Militants attacked southern Israelkilled approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. According to the latest figures of the Gaza Ministry of Health, 72 thousand 628 Palestinians died and 172 thousand 520 people were injured in Israel’s military attack in Gaza.
Palestinians continue to struggle to obtain food, clean water, medical care and shelter after war caused widespread destruction, collapsed health infrastructure and displaced most residents.
However, for the few surfers in the region, there is a temporary relief when they hit the waves.
“As soon as the tide rises, you quit your job and your whole life,” Abu Assi said. “As they say, business can be done. We go and play this sport.”
