Gazan Fishermen Struggle to Stay Afloat Despite Israel's Decision to Loosen Its Grip Over The Strip

Before 2007, when Hamas seized power in the enclave, local fishermen were able to fish in the open sea. But as Israel tightened its blockade over the area, it limited the fishing zone, leaving many in the sector impoverished and unemployed.

Israel and Hamas continue to stick to the ceasefire reached in the end of May, following the Guardian of the Walls operation that left 13 Israelis and more than 250 Palestinians dead.

The Egyptian-brokered deal stipulated that Hamas, an Islamic group that controls the Gaza Strip, would stop firing rockets into Israel.

The Jewish state, in return, would lift some of the sanctions it imposed prior to the operation. In August, for example, Israel allowed some goods and equipment into the besieged Strip. It also gave work permits to 5,000 Palestinian workers, enabling them to work inside Israeli territories, and it expanded the fishing zone to 15 nautical miles for Gazan fishermen.

No Change on the Ground

Ismael Baker, a 53-year-old fisherman from Gaza, says he has hardly felt any difference on the ground.

"Everyone is talking about a change but we are not feeling it as much. If our fishermen approach the border line indicated by Israel, their naval forces would arrest them or shoot them. Plus Israel is still preventing us from importing the necessary equipment to build new boats or to repair the old ones."

Israel has maintained a tight blockade of the Gaza Strip since 2007, when Hamas seized power in the enclave. To curb the threat of the Islamic group, it narrowed the fishing zone of the area, at times to three nautical miles, depending on the security situation.

It restricted the amount of goods and material that could enter the area and limited the import of sonar devices, various powerful engines and other tools, saying they could be used by the militants to produce weapons.

For Baker and the 4,000 other fishermen of the enclave, these and similar measures have been a deadly blow and the practical meaning of this was that they have been pushed into starvation and poverty.

"Today, I am feeling lucky if I earn $30 a day. This is hardly enough to keep my family of eleven afloat," he lamented.

Prior to 2007, this wasn't the case, and Baker says Gazan fishermen were allowed to fish in the open sea, reaching 20 nautical miles or more. That ability gave them access to an abundance of fish, something that in turn boosted their profits, enabling them to earn $100 a day.

"It was a golden period for us, and we were considered rich people. Now, we depend on the cash injections of rich Palestinian donors," he said, referring to the Gulf states and various international organisations, such as the UN refugee agency UNRWA.

Hard Times

The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020 has deteriorated the situation even further. Local authorities, who have been struggling to contain the spread of the virus, have imposed a series of strict measures on the residents of the enclave, including a ban on gatherings and a curfew.

Fishermen have also been prohibited from fishing and Baker says he and many others like him were forced to stay at home for months.

"We and our families were left hanging and local authorities have not provided us with any financial assistance. It has been unbearable."

The acute health and economic crisis has hit all layers of the already struggling Gazan population. Previously, it was reported that the pandemic had pushed unemployment rates up to 49 percent, prompting many to seek new jobs or look for creative solutions. But for Baker this seems like an improbable option.

"I am not educated and all I have done in my life was fishing. I don't know anything else. And what's left for me is only to hope that the situation will eventually improve."