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Gaza's Sea: How 'Israel' Turned a Lifeline into an Open Grave
Gaza fisherman Ahmed Bakr is enduring compounded hardship as he is barred from venturing into the sea amid an Israeli-imposed ban and ongoing military targeting. Meanwhile, he and his family, like hundreds of thousands across Gaza, face unprecedented hunger.On July 12, 2025, the Israeli Occupation Forces issued a military order fully closing off Gaza’s maritime waters, forbidding fishermen from sailing until further notice.This move marks a serious escalation, targeting the livelihoods of thousands of Palestinian families who depend on fishing for their daily food needs, deepening hunger and closing off vital avenues for accessing sustenance.Death SentenceBaker told Al-Estiklal that fishermen and their families once held faint hopes of accessing the sea despite the risks, but that has now changed.“In recent months, we have barely managed to reach the water amid severe hardships, with gunfire targeting us, relentless pursuit, and the destruction of our boats,” he said.He added that many of his colleagues have been killed, wounded, or detained, as the Israeli Occupation Forces deliberately target any boats moving at sea, as well as those docked at Gaza’s port or along the shoreline.According to a joint report released in June 2025 by al-Dameer Association for Human Rights and the Gaza Civil Society Network, at least 202 people working in the fishing sector have been killed since the outbreak of the war.Among them, 50 were killed by Israeli naval gunfire while carrying out their work at sea, and more than 300 others were injured, including 20 who sustained wounds while still on the water, up to the time of the report’s release.The report also highlighted that over 90 percent of fishing boats and vessels, along with fishermen’s storage facilities and shelters, have been completely destroyed.Fisherman Ahmed said, “The inability to reach sufficient distances at sea reduces the chance of catching fish, but the official ban extinguishes any remaining hope; it feels like a death sentence for us.”Under normal circumstances, Gaza’s waters were already tightly controlled by Israeli authorities, who frequently imposed sudden closures and reduced the permitted fishing zones as part of what is widely seen as collective punishment policies against the Strip’s residents.Ahmed Bakr questioned, “How can you imagine the situation during a war and genocide that has left no sector untouched?” He added that the occupation is deliberately trying to extinguishIsraeli naval vessels...
Gaza Strip | Definition, History, Facts, & Map | Britannica
Top Questions What is the Gaza Strip? Where is the Gaza Strip located in the Middle East? Who lives in the Gaza Strip? Why is the Gaza Strip often in the news? How is the Gaza Strip governed? What are the main challenges faced by people living in the Gaza Strip? News • Gaza Strip, territory occupying 140 square miles (363 square km) along the Mediterranean Sea just northeast of the Sinai Peninsula. The Gaza Strip is unusual in being a densely settled area not recognized as a de jure part of any extant country. The first accurate census, conducted in September 1967, showed a population smaller than had previously been estimated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) or by Egypt, with nearly half of the people living in refugee camps. Population (2017) 1,899,291; (2023 est.) 2,226,544. Population density (2023) 15,609 people per square mile; (2023) 6,024 people per square km. Geography The Gaza Strip is situated on a relatively flat coastal plain. Temperatures average in the mid-50s F (about 13 °C) in the winter and in the upper 70s to low 80s F (mid- to upper 20s C) in summer. The area receives an average of about 12 inches (300 mm) of precipitation annually. Quick Facts Population: (2023 est.) 2,229,000 Official Name(S): Gaza Strip; Qiṭāʿ Ghazzah (Arabic); Reẓuʿat ʿAzza (Hebrew) Total Area (Sq Km): 365 Total Area (Sq Mi): 141 Arabic: Qiṭāʿ Ghazzah Hebrew: Reẓuʿat ʿAzza Living conditions in the Gaza Strip are typically poor for a number of reasons: the region’s dense and rapidly increasing population (the area’s growth rate is one of the highest in the world); inadequate water, sewage, and electrical services; high rates of unemployment; and, from September 2007, sanctions imposed by Israel on the region. Agriculture is the economic mainstay of the employed population, and nearly three-fourths of the land area is under cultivation. The chief crop, citrus fruit, is raised on irrigated lands and is exported to Europe and other markets under arrangement with Israel. Truck crops, wheat, and olives also are produced. Light industry and handicrafts are centered in Gaza, the chief city of the area. In politically stable times, as much as one-tenth of the Palestinian population travels daily to Israel (where they are not allowed to stay overnight) to work in menial jobs. Political tension and outbreaks of violence often led Israeli authorities to close the border for extended periods, putting ma...
The United Nations and the crisis in the Middle East
The United Nations and the Middle East, information, links, statements and everything else you need to follow the current Gaza crisis.
How did Gaza's sea become a wall? - Al Jazeera
For 18 years, Israel has enforced a naval blockade around the Gaza Strip.
