GAZA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Every day when the sun rises, Mohammed Baker, a displaced Palestinian fisher based in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, rushes to the sea, riding his damaged small boat to catch some fish despite the dangers ahead.
"Every time I go fishing, I do not know if I will come back alive as the Israeli army may kill me," the 55-year-old father of eight told Xinhua.
"I do not have the luxury to stay at home during the current dire living conditions ... My children are starving and the aid food we have received from the UN institutions is not enough for them," the middle-aged fisherman lamented.
"I decided to risk myself and catch fish to sell it in local markets to gain some money that would help me keep my family afloat amid the bloody war in Gaza," he said.
Baker's boat was damaged when an Israeli naval boat shot it five months ago. "I have managed to repair it with high expenses. Then, I went to the sea and started to fish ... On my first day of returning to the sea, the Israeli naval (forces) fired at me, and I was forced to leave the area without catching any fish," the fisherman recalled.
Yet Baker has not given up. He decided to go out to sea again. "I have to venture to catch fish to feed my children. I cannot look at their eyes when they are suffering from starvation."
After many attempts, Baker finally succeeded in fishing and selling his catch in local markets.
"I collected about 8 kilograms of fish ... I sold them for 150 U.S. dollars," he said, flashing a bitter smile.
Fish is now a luxury for Gazans. One kilogram of fish used to cost 6 dollars, but now it has reached as high as 30 dollars.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli army has been conducting a large-scale offensive on the besieged coastal enclave, retaliating against a military attack carried out by Hamas on the Israeli towns adjacent to the territory.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza has risen to 42,847, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Thursday.
The Israeli attacks have also devastated most of the economic sectors in Gaza, including fishing, according to Nizar Ayyash, head of the local fishermen's syndicate.
"For over a year of this war, the Israeli army has killed about 150 Palestinian fishers," Ayyash told Xinhua. "We need about 1 million dollars to resume our work in the fishing sector, while we need about 10 million dollars to revive our basic fishing sector" once the war ends, he said.
In fact, the fishing sector in Gaza had been wilting long before the war due to Israeli restrictions on access off the Gaza coast. "For 17 years of Israeli blockade, the fishing sector has suffered heavy losses," Ayyash said.
Still, neither the Israeli blockade nor the current war will make Ibrahim Abu Ryala, another Gaza-based Palestinian fisherman, give up his profession inherited from his ancestors.
"For more than 17 years, I have been struggling to go to sea and fish to keep my family afloat, and I could not abandon my profession," the 45-year-old father of four recalled to Xinhua.
"I could not find any other profession to make money," said the man who created his own handmade net to fish in the sea in central Gaza despite Israeli attacks on his boat.
Abu Ryala can barely catch 2 or 3 kilograms of fish per week during wartime. "I can hardly earn about 50 dollars, which cannot even buy the basic necessities for my children," he moaned.
"When I go to the sea for fishing, I look at the port and pray for God to return to my land," he said, his eyes full of tears. Enditem
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