Gaza surfers turn to the sea for relief from war
AFP reports that three young surfers in Gaza City are keeping the sport alive amid Israeli attacks, shortages and damaged equipment.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Three young surfers in Gaza City are still paddling into the Mediterranean, using the sea as one of the few remaining places of relief after two years of war. AFP reported that Tahseen Abu Assi, Abdel Rahim Ustadh and Khalil Abu Jiyab carried their boards past tents and damaged buildings before entering the water off Gaza City.
The surfers prepared on the beach as children played in the shallow water nearby, according to AFP. They then pushed through breaking waves, even as the risk of Israeli attacks remains part of daily life along the coast.
Abu Assi, 23, told AFP he learned the sport by watching his father and grandfather surf. He said the feeling of catching and riding a wave could not be fully described, and that surfing gives him room to breathe amid war, shelling and destruction.
“The situation is still unstable,” Abu Assi told AFP, saying shells or explosives could land nearby at any time.
Sea remains dangerous after ceasefire
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in Gaza in October after what AFP described as Israel’s devastating two-year war on the enclave. AFP reported that the coastal territory remains affected by bloodshed, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of near-daily breaches.
The danger extends to the water, according to reports cited by AFP. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said in mid-May that it received two fishermen wounded by Israeli naval fire near the beach in southern Gaza.
Days later, a Gaza security source told AFP that three fishermen were hurt by Israeli fire near the coast off Gaza City. Those incidents have added to the risks for people who depend on or seek refuge in the sea.
Shortages hit a small surfing community
Ustadh, 19, told AFP that Gaza’s surfers face severe shortages of the basic items needed for the sport. He said surf wax is unavailable in the territory, so the surfers use candle wax on their boards instead.
He also said old boards have become critical to keeping the sport alive. AFP reported that Ustadh held a battered red-and-blue board that was nearly 20 years old, and he said surfers treat their boards as treasures because losing one can threaten their ability to continue.
The war has flattened large parts of Gaza, displaced most of the population at least once and left hundreds of thousands of people in tents and temporary shelters, AFP reported. Those conditions have also narrowed the space for sports and other forms of normal life.
Abu Jiyab, 18, told AFP that Gaza had a 17-member surfing team before the war. He said only three remain now, blaming the drop on shortages and the lack of boards.
Abu Jiyab said he has surfed for 13 years and still hopes to compete outside Gaza one day, even though he told AFP his hopes have been nearly broken. He said the sea is the only outlet left in Gaza, and that without it, life would have faded long ago.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.