Over 15 months of Israeli shelling has levelled most boats in the harbor, decimating fishermen’s livelihoods.
Habib shared, “We’re in a dire situation today, and fishing is a struggle. No fishing boats remain; they’ve all been destroyed and left to rot.”
“I fashioned this boat from fridge doors and cork, grateful it floated,” he said.
To keep his family fed, Habib ingeniously stuffed fridge doors with cork to float them, then clad one side with wood and the other with plastic sheeting for a waterproof paddleboard.
Adapting to the absence of conventional fishing nets, Habib created a cage from wire, though he conceded, “the catch is meager.”
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization stated in December that the conflict pushed Gaza’s once-prosperous fishing industry to near-collapse.
“Gaza’s daily catch from October 2023 to April 2024 dwindled to only 7.3% of 2022 levels, incurring a $17.5 million loss in production,” the FAO reported.
Habib now mainly fishes within the confines of the small port, using dough for bait.
Despite the tenuous ceasefire enforce on January 19, largely ceasing hostilities, Habib clarified that venturing outside the port for fishing is not permitted. “If we go beyond the fishermen’s harbor, the Israeli boats will open fire,” he warned.
