Gaza’s beaches and Mediterranean waters have long been a place of routine for many residents. But in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war and the humanitarian crisis it has intensified, a handful of Palestinian surfers have kept chasing rare windows when the sea is high enough for riding waves.
Tahseen Abu Assi, a surfer in Gaza City, said that despite the dire conditions across the Strip and a fragile ceasefire that has been in place, only three or four men still surf. He linked the dwindling number to shortages of surfboards and to the difficulty of finding the materials needed to repair damaged ones.
Abu Assi said he carried his surfboard through every displacement he endured during the two-year war because he would not be able to replace it. He said that no surfboards had entered Palestinian territory since 2007 and noted that surfboards are among sports equipment and other products banned by Israel.
On Tuesday, Abu Assi was among three surfers who went into the sea off the Gaza City port, including Khalil Abu Jiab, who rode high waves with his arms raised in joy. Abu Assi said there was fear, but that surfers could not leave the sport—describing how, during the war amid bombing and planes overhead, they would still go down to practice.
Abu Assi said the risk is shaped by the way Israel has restricted sea access in Gaza since the war began. He described how fishing and swimming are prohibited and dangerous in the waters off northern and southern Gaza, and he said it is also risky to enter the water off central Gaza, including near Gaza City, because of Israeli patrols.
He also said that Gaza’s waves rarely rise high enough to make surfing possible and that when conditions do allow it, surfers “leave your work and leave your whole life” to get into the water. “Work can be caught up on,” Abu Assi said, adding that surfers go to practice when the sea permits it.
The broader backdrop is a war that erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostages, according to Israeli and Hamas statements reported by AP. Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed 72,628 Palestinians and injured 172,520 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry’s latest figures cited by AP.
Intense fighting across the enclave has eased since a shaky ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, but Israeli strikes have continued, and both Hamas and Israel have accused each other of violating the truce. For most Gaza residents, the aftermath has meant continued struggle to secure food, clean water, medical care and shelter after widespread destruction, the dismantling of healthcare infrastructure and the displacement of most residents.
For Gaza’s small number of surfers, the chance to ride a wave is described as a brief, hard-won relief. Even with the continuing conflict and the dangers that come with limited sea access, Abu Assi said the sport can still offer an escape—so long as the waves come and the sea can be reached safely enough to enter.