Livelihood

They are just little blips in this blip, but it is nice to see the fishing boats out on the sea and the fishermen at work.

Israel has severely restricted the ability of Gazans to sail on the Gaza Sea. The sea is possibly the one thing that makes life in such a hemmed-in place tolerable. However, the Occupying Power has incrementally reduced the nautical mile limit from the 20 nautical miles agreed under the Oslo Accords to a mere 3 nautical miles. This area is now overfished.

As a result, the number of working fishermen has fallen from 10,000 in 1999 to 3,200 today, meaning that approximately 39,000 fishermen and dependents have been deprived of their access to livelihood.

The high price of fuel, which is a result of the closure of the Gaza Strip, is another reason why fishermen are often unable to fish.

On top of these restrictions, fishermen are frequently attacked by Israeli naval forces as they attempt to carry out their work. Even within the 3-mile limit, they are regularly shot at, subjected to attempts to topple their boats, and fired at with water cannons, sometimes using skunk water.

Often, the fishermen are ordered to strip, dive into the sea and swim towards the Israeli naval ships. Following this, they may be blindfolded, handcuffed, and brought to Ashkelon, Israel, where they are arbitrarily detained. Their boats and fishing equipment is confiscated and, even after the fishermen's release, it can take weeks or months and legal action to have them returned.

All this, to catch a few fish.