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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.palestinechronicle.com/assault-on-survival-what-israels-destruction-of-gazas-fishing-industry-reveals/">palestinechronicle.com</a>
<div class="gmail-domain-border"></div><h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Assault on Survival: What Israel\u2019s Destruction of Gaza\u2019s Fishing Industry Reveals</h1>February 22, 2026</div>
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<img src="https://www.palestinechronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/fishing_genocide_gaza_boat_majjour_pc.png" alt="" title="fishing_genocide_gaza_boat_majjour_pc" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" width="408" height="274" style="margin-right: 25px;">
During the genocide, Palestinian
fishermen risk their lives to feed families and a community on the brink
of famine. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)
<p><strong>By <a href="https://www.palestinechronicle.com/writers/palestine-chronicle-staff" title="Display all articles for Palestine Chronicle Staff">Palestine Chronicle Staff</a></strong> </p>
<blockquote>
<h3>Gaza\u2019s fishing collapse accelerates famine risks as siege policies dismantle Palestinian food systems and enforce dependency.</h3>
</blockquote>
<h2>Key Takeaways</h2>
<ul><li>Gaza\u2019s fishing activity has fallen below 10 percent of prewar levels.</li><li>Most boats and maritime infrastructure have been destroyed or rendered unusable.</li><li>Extended maritime closures have effectively eliminated fishing for prolonged periods.</li><li>Protein shortages intensify as agriculture and fisheries collapse simultaneously.</li><li>Analysts argue the destruction reflects a long-standing policy of enforced dependency.</li><li>UN agencies say recovery requires a sustained ceasefire and safe maritime access.</li></ul>
<h4>A Lifeline Destroyed</h4>
<p>Gaza\u2019s fishing industry \u2014 once a vital source of affordable protein
and income \u2014 now operates at a fraction of its former capacity.</p>
<p>According to figures cited by the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), fishing activity has dropped below 10 percent of
prewar levels. FAO assessments released a year ago documented widespread
destruction of boats, landing sites, storage facilities, and repair
workshops.</p>
<p>Before the Israeli genocide started on October 7, 2023, more than
4,000 registered fishermen worked along Gaza\u2019s coastline, supporting
tens of thousands of family members. Fishing was one of the enclave\u2019s
last functioning local food systems in a territory heavily dependent on
imports.</p>
<p>That system has effectively collapsed.</p>
<h4>Dependency as Structure</h4>
<p>Ramzy Baroud, journalist and editor of The Palestine Chronicle,
argues that the destruction of Gaza\u2019s fishing sector cannot be viewed as
collateral damage.</p>
<p>\u201cThis vulnerability is functional for Israel,\u201d Baroud told <a href="https://www.arabnews.com/node/2633716/middle-east">Arab News</a>, describing what he views as a long-standing policy designed to prevent Palestinian self-sufficiency.</p>
<p>Since 1967, he said, Israel has systematically constrained
Palestinian economic independence \u2014 first through labor dependency,
later through aid dependency under siege.</p>
<p>\u201cLikewise, the fishing sector was deliberately crippled through
direct attacks on fishermen, including arrests, live fire, confiscation
of equipment, and the sinking or destruction of boats,\u201d Baroud said.</p>
<p>Although the Oslo Accords formally granted Palestinians fishing
rights up to 20 nautical miles offshore, those provisions were rarely
implemented. Fishing zones were frequently reduced to three nautical
miles and periodically closed altogether.</p>
<p>Following October 2023, humanitarian organizations reported extended
total maritime closures, effectively banning fishing during large
stretches of the genocide.</p>
<p>\u201cFor Gaza, the sea represents freedom,\u201d Baroud said. \u201cAll of Gaza\u2019s
other borders are controlled by Israel, either directly or indirectly.\u201d</p>
<p>He described the assault on the fishing sector as part of a broader
strategy aimed at severing Palestinians from remaining spaces of
autonomy.</p>
<p>\u201cThe assault on Gaza\u2019s fishing sector is therefore not incidental,\u201d
he said. \u201cIt is about severing Palestinians from one of the few spaces
not entirely enclosed by walls, checkpoints, and military control.\u201d</p>
<h4>Collapse of Survival Systems</h4>
<p>The destruction of fishing coincides with the devastation of agriculture, livestock, and markets across the Strip.</p>
<p>UN OCHA\u2019s Situation Report issued last January warned that despite
increased aid deliveries following ceasefire arrangements, food
insecurity remains severe. Local production systems have been shattered,
leaving households increasingly reliant on external assistance.</p>
<p>Fish once served as one of the few locally available proteins. Its
near disappearance has intensified malnutrition risks, particularly
among children.</p>
<p>\u201cThis is about denying Palestinians access to life itself \u2014 to survival,\u201d Baroud said.</p>
<p>He argues that the collapse of fishing deepens a cycle in which
Palestinians are forced to rely on humanitarian aid controlled at entry
points by Israel.</p>
<p>\u201cThe destruction of fishing forces Palestinians into deeper
dependence on humanitarian aid that Israel itself controls,\u201d he said.</p>
<p>International humanitarian law obligates an occupying power to
protect civilian livelihoods and ensure access to food. Baroud maintains
that targeting subsistence activity cannot be justified.</p>
<p>\u201cThe systematic targeting of fishermen \u2014 who are civilians engaged in
subsistence activity \u2014 cannot be justified as a military necessity,
especially when it results in starvation and famine,\u201d he said.</p>
<h4>\u2018Reconstruction\u2019 Without Freedom</h4>
<p>FAO has stated it is prepared to assist in rebuilding Gaza\u2019s fishing
sector, provided that sustained ceasefire conditions are maintained and
safe maritime access is restored.</p>
<p>But Baroud argues that reconstruction cannot succeed without structural change.</p>
<p>\u201cOnly a measure of real freedom for Palestinians \u2014 freedom of
movement, access to land and sea, and the ability to import, export and
produce independently \u2014 can allow Gaza\u2019s industries and economy to
recover,\u201d he said.</p>
<p>Without ending the broader system of siege and restriction, he
contends, rebuilding boats and docks will not restore true food
security.</p>
<p>Along Gaza\u2019s coastline, broken hulls and torn nets now line the shore
\u2014 silent testimony to the dismantling of one of the enclave\u2019s last
independent lifelines.</p>
<p>As famine warnings persist into 2026, the collapse of fishing stands
as a stark example of how the destruction of livelihoods translates
directly into hunger.</p>
<p><em>(Arab News, PC, UN Reports)</em></p>
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