RESTRICTION SUMMARY: Gaza - 11 December 2022. Palestinian maintain and repair the fishing boats using fiberglass material, at the Gaza seaport in Gaza city

0.1 SOUNDBITE (in Arabic) Mohammad Jarbou
0.2 SOUNDBITE (in Arabic) Wael Abu Riyala

STORYLINE:

Israel banned fiberglass material in 2007 but recently re-allowed it, to prolong their life in the workshop established in Gaza port with the contributions of the United Nations.

The boats began piling up in Gaza 15 years ago after Israel, imposed a land, air, and sea blockade on the small Palestinian coastal enclave in 2007.

For Gaza’s fishermen, the blockade has prevented them from buying motors, propellers, fiberglass, and many other items needed to repair the boats and maintain a functioning fishing fleet. It has damaged a vital but shrinking part of the strip’s economy while crimping the supply of an important but increasingly out-of-reach part of the local diet.

Repairs and maintenance that were once easy and affordable became too costly or scarce, causing some fishermen to just give up and dump their unsalvageable boats in the cemetery.

Footage by APAwire