Gaza Surfers Chase Brief Escape Amid Ruins of War
Gaza Strip— Along Gaza’s battered Mediterranean coastline, a small group of Palestinian surfers are returning to the sea in search of brief moments of relief from a war that has devastated the enclave and displaced much of its population.
Despite continuing Israeli strikes, severe restrictions on maritime activity and widespread shortages of basic goods, several surfers in Gaza City have resumed riding waves whenever conditions allow, describing the sport as a rare psychological escape from the conflict’s destruction.Only a handful of surfers remain active in Gaza because surfboards are scarce and replacement equipment is nearly impossible to obtain, said Tahseen Abu Assi, who said he carried his board with him throughout repeated wartime displacements.
“If something happened to it I won’t be able to get another one,” Abu Assi said, adding that surfboards have not entered Gaza since 2007 due to Israeli restrictions on a range of goods entering the territory.On Tuesday, Abu Assi joined two other surfers near Gaza City’s port, including Khalil Abu Jiab, as high seasonal waves reached the shoreline.The Israeli military has heavily restricted access to Gaza’s coastal waters since the start of the war.
The United Nations has documented incidents involving fishermen and civilians coming under fire at sea or near the shore.Last year, Israel formally designated Gaza’s maritime zone a “no-go zone,” banning fishing, swimming and most civilian access to coastal waters. Israeli patrols continue to operate off Gaza’s coastline, making sea activity hazardous.
Fishing and swimming remain prohibited off northern and southern Gaza, while access near central Gaza also carries risks due to ongoing military patrols.“There is fear of course, but we can’t leave this sport,” Abu Assi said. “During the war, in the middle of the bombing and the planes above us, we used to go down and practice this sport.”
Surfing conditions in Gaza are inconsistent because the Mediterranean waves along the enclave’s coast are often too small for the sport. Surfers say they seize any opportunity when larger swells arrive.Intense fighting across Gaza eased after a ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10 last year, though intermittent Israeli strikes have continued and both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and injured over 172,000 others since the war began. The conflict has severely damaged hospitals, housing and public infrastructure while deepening shortages of food, clean water and medical supplies.
For Gaza’s remaining surfers, the coastline offers one of the few remaining spaces for temporary release from daily hardship.“As soon as the sea gets high, you leave your work and leave your whole life,” Abu Assi said. “Work can be caught up on. We go practice this sport.”
