Photos: Gazans Turn to the Sea to Escape War Trauma
Photos: Gazans Turn to the Sea to Escape War Trauma
February 20, 2015
By Basel Yazouri
Living under siege for nine continuous years, Gazans face the complete closure of all border crossings by heading towards their only escape: the sea.
Six months after the last Israeli offensive against the strip, the sea is one of the only open spaces that people in Gaza can enjoy, and it’s an important source of food and income despite restrictions and attacks that fishermen face on a daily basis from Israel, which is preventing them from accessing the six nautical miles from the Gaza shore agreed upon in the latest truce, and limiting them to three nautical miles only. This affects the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Gazans who depend on this tough job.
Last week the region was hit by a storm with strong winds and heavy rain. This weather makes it impossible for fishermen to work, and their boats remain in the harbor. But that’s when surfers appear.
I met a number of young men surfing in the stormy weather. “I play this sport since I was 12,” says Taha Baker, 26 years old, known among his friends as “the dolphin”. “This is the only way I can express myself freely.” Taha and his friends turn to the sea as the last resort to escape the difficult conditions in the Gaza strip.
Taha says that there are few days when the weather is suitable for surfing. “That’s why it’s dangerous,” he says, “because the waves that work for us only happen in winter during storms.”
من أجل «إضفاء منظر جميل»، شيّد الصندوق القومي اليهودي عقب النكبة في مناطق كثيرة من فلسطين المحتلّة حدائق عامّة، وغرس حولها الكثير من أشجار السرو والصنوبر، اتخذت بعد سنوات شكل أحراجٍ صغيرة حول الحدائق عُرفت بـ«الرئات الخضر لإسرائيل».
اختيرت أماكن زراعة هذه الأشجار بعناية بالغة من أجل أن تكون: أوروبيّة المظهر، ...
«وجدنا طفلًا مقطوع الرأس، بحثنا عن رأسه ولم نجده»؛ «رأيتُ امرأة حامل وسط بركة من الدماء.. بُقر بطنها، وطُعن جنينها»؛ «كانت الجدران والحجارة تصرخ: لقد اغتُصبت». منذ السابع من أكتوبر، اجتُرّت هذه المزاعم ومثيلاتها مرات لا تحصى على ألسنة المسؤولين الإسرائيليين والغربيين، وعلى شاشات وصفحات وسائل الإعلام الغربية، وظلت تتكرر ...