Part of the Series
Struggle and Solidarity: Writing Toward Palestinian Liberation
The Israeli military has imposed a full blockade on Gaza’s sea from north to south, preventing fishers, swimmers, and all other Palestinians from entering the last remaining source of relief from this genocide.
The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, announced the total maritime closure on July 12, 2025: “We remind you that strict security restrictions have been imposed in the maritime area adjacent to the Strip, and entry into the sea is prohibited.”
This new restriction is designed to make the situation in Gaza even more unbearable amid unprecedented starvation and famine. “The IDF will respond to any violation of these restrictions,” Adraee threatened. “We urge fishermen, swimmers, and divers to refrain from entering the sea. Entering the sea along the Strip exposes you to danger,” the warning adds. Even approaching the shoreline is now forbidden by the Israeli military. Are they going to ban the air next? If they could, they absolutely would.
Israel had already attacked people trying to steal moments of normalcy. On June 30, 2025, Israel bombed the seaside Al-Baqa Café, killing more than 30 people who were attempting to get a moment of respite away from the war, until a rocket came and destroyed everything.
This latest restriction is a deliberate attack on Palestinian fishing infrastructure and the local food sources that provide Gaza’s markets with fish. People are now effectively prohibited from fishing to feed themselves and their families amid this catastrophe.
Since March 2025, Israel has blocked lifesaving humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, aside from a few rare and meager shipments. According to the UN World Food Programme, Gaza’s markets are facing a total depletion of food supplies. However, our fishers are taking risks in order to feed their fellow Palestinians through one last remaining local food source.
The fishing industry was a main source of income for many people who were trying to secure a livelihood amid the deprivation of war. Even before the restrictions, not much was available — just a modest catch in accordance with Israel’s imposed fishing limits — but it was a local source of sustenance that might have helped Palestinians survive as fresh food vanished from markets.
Maher Al-Amoudi, a 37-year-old Palestinian fisherman, described his fishing experience before the latest restrictions were put in place. “I used to catch fish and sell them to people in Gaza’s seaport,” Al-Amoudi said.
“After the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza’s seaport, I rushed immediately to check my fishing supplies,” he recalled. “I was shocked by the devastation. Boats were burned, fishing nets were totally destroyed, all my fishing equipment was unusable.” Now, Al-Amoudi is prohibited from practicing his right to fish — a right that once sustained both his family and his broader community.
Gaza’s fishers were used to facing risk and even death long before the war. But after October 7, with Israel imposing harsh restrictions on fishing zones, the Mediterranean Sea turned into a deadly trap, with Israeli soldiers potentially shooting at anyone who was trying to catch fish. “Even if we chose to take a risk, we were only allowed to go 100 meters, and even in that area, soldiers opened fire towards us,” said Al-Amoudi.
On July 19, five Palestinian fishers were detained by Israeli forces near Gaza City while fishing about 100 meters offshore. The Palestinian Information Center said that “Israeli vessels threw some of the fishermen into the sea after detaining them, while the others were taken to an unknown location,” based on reporting from Zakaria Bakr, coordinator of the Fishermen’s Committees at the Union of Agricultural Work Committees. Bakr also reported that the Israeli forces opened fire toward the shoreline.
By stealing the sea, Israel has taken Gaza’s last food source. As Palestinians live through this unbearable starvation, the sea was the last place where fresh food might be found, but after the last full blockade in July, this hope of eating fresh food has shattered.
Mohammed Al-Naffar, a 66-year-old Palestinian, is one of many who depended on fish as a source of nutrition. “I used to buy sardines every week to feed my body with protein,” Al-Naffar said. He is an elderly man, tired and hungry from ongoing starvation. “My body has lost all nourishment throughout this war,” he added. Fish is not a luxury for him — it is a last lifeline sustaining his fragile health.
Al-Amoudi and thousands of other fishers are now without a livelihood. This ban, he said, is not just another restriction; it is about preventing Palestinians from securing the most basic human dignity. Many are now jobless and hopeless. “No money, so how could I offer the least to my children?” Al-Amoudi asked, his voice heavy with anger.
When the evacuation orders began in October 2023, Israeli soldiers ordered Palestinians to flee toward coastal areas. For displaced families, the sea is not a place for rest, it is a place for living. They go to the sea to leave behind tent heat, the suffocating war atmosphere, and their own anger. They turned to the sea as a place to escape, a place to breathe when it seems even breathing is prohibited. The sea was our last hope — and even hope has been stolen.
Press freedom is under attack
As Trump cracks down on political speech, independent media is increasingly necessary.
Truthout produces reporting you won’t see in the mainstream: journalism from the frontlines of global conflict, interviews with grassroots movement leaders, high-quality legal analysis and more.
Our work is possible thanks to reader support. Help Truthout catalyze change and social justice — make a tax-deductible monthly or one-time donation today.