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Gaza's fishermen struggling
23 Jun 2009
By Sarah Malian and Rebecca Lyman
Six months after a ceasefire was declared in the Gaza strip little has changed for fishermen who struggle to eke out a living because of official restrictions, the lack of equipment and a fear of attacks.
Just a summer ago, fishermen such as 56-year-old Kamal Al Ankah were getting back on their feet with the help of organisations like World Vision, which ran a job-creation programme and provided fishing nets.
During a military action which began in December last year, Kamal’s community was badly affected. His 25-year-old son Dheep was shot in March while fishing off the coast of northern Gaza.
“I benefited from the World Vision programme but now we need help to live,” said Kamal, as he sat beside Dheep in Beit Lahiya’s Kamal Odwan hospital. “I was going to the sea with my son to fish and try to make a living, but now we can’t. All I can say is thank God, Dheep is off the ventilator machines.”
The bullets missed Dheep’s vital organs and bones but he has some nerve damage in his arm. He is now considering alternative sources of work. With unemployment at around 45 per cent and 85 per cent of the Gazan population dependent on food aid, prospects are slim.
“What can I do? This is what happens to fishermen in Gaza,” said Dheep. “If I don’t find another job, then I will go back to the sea. I don’t know if there is anything else I can do.”
His 18-year-old wife Aida adds, “Dheep has no choice but to be a fisherman. He has to go to the sea because we have to eat and drink.”
The situation for fishermen has worsened sharply since fishing limits were further restricted early this year.
“Before the war, the situation was better,” said Dheep
Kamal, whose family sheltered in schools throughout the shelling, said, “Everything was destroyed in Beit Lahiya during the offensive.
“When we returned to our home, all the windows were shattered and there were five bombs in the grounds around our house.
“We want a solution but we don’t know how, or what or when. How long can this go on?”
World Vision has begun a new early recovery project funded by the Disaster Emergency Committee in the United Kingdom, which will assist some 85 fishermen either by providing them with nets, rehabilitating their nets and boats or employing them through a job creation project.
More than 600 family members will benefit from this support; however, there are continuing needs throughout Gaza.
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