DEIR BALA, Gaza Strip (AP) — Even as the Gaza Strip faces a dire humanitarian crisis and a fragile ceasefire remains in place, a handful of Palestinian surfers have found joy and relief in the waves of the region’s Mediterranean coastal waters.
Tahseen Abu Assi, a surfer in Gaza City, said only three or four people were still surfing due to a lack of surfboards and the materials needed to repair damaged boards.
Abu Assi carried his surfboard with him every time he experienced displacement during the two-year war because, he said, he could not replace it.
“If something goes wrong with it, I won’t be able to get another piece,” he said, noting that no surfboard has entered the Palestinian territories since 2007. Surfboards are among the sports equipment and other products banned in Israel.
Abu Assi was one of three surfers, including Khalil Abu Jiab, who took to the water in Gaza City’s port on Tuesday, raising his arms in joy as he rode the giant waves.
After the war began, the Israeli military severely restricted maritime activities in Gaza, and the United Nations reported that some fishermen were attacked on shore or at sea, including incidents involving fishermen using paddle boats.
Last year, Israel declared Gaza’s waters a “no go zone”, banning fishing, swimming and access to the sea, making surfing dangerous.
Fishing and swimming are prohibited and dangerous in the waters north and south of Gaza. Access to the sea in central Gaza, where Gaza City is located, is also risky due to Israeli patrols.
“Of course there is fear, but we cannot leave this sport,” Abu Assi said. “During the war, during the war, we used to go down and practice the sport while the bombings and planes were flying over our heads.”
He added that waves in Gaza rarely rise high enough to surf, so when they do, surfers drop everything and get into the water.
Fierce fighting across the enclave has eased since a shaky ceasefire came into effect on October 10, but deadly Israeli attacks have continued, with Hamas and Israel accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.
The war between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7, 2023, when militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostages. The latest data from the Gaza Ministry of Health show that Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed 72,628 Palestinians and injured 172,520.
Palestinians continue to struggle to secure food, clean water, medical services and shelter after the war caused widespread destruction, dismantled medical infrastructure and displaced much of the territory’s population.
But for the few surfers in the area, they feel relief, even if only briefly, when they hit the waves.
“As soon as the water rises, you give up your job, your whole life,” Abu Assi said. “As they say, work can catch up. Let’s go practice the sport.”
