Gaza's Last Three Surfers Hold On Amid Ongoing War
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- Tahseen Abu Assi, 23, learned surfing from his father and grandfather and still paddles out off Gaza City, telling AFP the sport lets surfers 'breathe and feel safe' even as shells and explosives threaten the coast.
- A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in October after a two-year war, but both sides accuse each other of near-daily violations, with Israeli naval gunfire wounding five fishermen off Gaza's coast in mid-May.
- Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received two fishermen injured by Israeli naval gunfire near the southern beach in mid-May, and a Gaza security source later reported three more fishermen wounded off Gaza City.
- Abdel Rahim Ustadh, 19, said surf wax is unavailable in Gaza due to Israeli import restrictions, forcing the remaining surfers to use candle wax on boards they treat as 'great treasures,' including a battered red-and-blue board nearly two decades old.
- Khalil Abu Jiyab, 18, told AFP Gaza's surfing team numbered 17 before the war but has shrunk to just three; he has surfed for 13 years and dreams of competing internationally, saying 'the only outlet in Gaza is the sea.'
Why it matters: Gaza's surfing community has collapsed from 17 members to three under wartime import restrictions and displacement, and even the sea offers no safety — Israeli naval fire wounded five fishermen in mid-May alone, underscoring that the October ceasefire has not ended the dangers facing civilians pursuing ordinary recreation.
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