Nearly 20 months into Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, the territory’s fishing sector stands among the hardest hit, its workforce devastated and productivity nearly extinguished.
According to the Palestinian Fishermen’s Syndicate, the Israeli occupation has pursued a systematic campaign to dismantle the industry.
Spokesperson Zakaria Bakr told Ma’an News Agency that approximately 210 fishermen have been killed since the onset of the genocide, including 65 who were killed at sea while attempting to work under blockade.
Prior to the genocide, over 5,000 fishermen operated off Gaza’s coast. That number has since plummeted to fewer than 400. The Syndicate reports that the industry’s current output is less than 2% of its normal capacity.
“Fishing was Gaza’s second-most important productive sector after agriculture,” Bakr explained. “Now it’s been deliberately targeted; fishermen are shot at, chased, abducted, and cut off by a blockade on both land and sea.”
Israeli airstrikes have destroyed all five of Gaza’s fishing docks and its only functioning port. An estimated 95% of fishing boats and engines have been rendered inoperable, leaving the main port in ruins.
Since the genocide began, Israel has imposed a near-total ban on access to the sea. The few remaining fishing attempts involve small paddle boats confined to highly restricted zone, what Bakr described as “trips of suffering and danger.”
These limited operations now occur only from the ports of Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, and Khan Younis, in the south.
Following the resumption of the genocide, after Israel broke the ceasefire agreement in Gaza on March 18, 2025, more than 5,194 Palestinians have been killed and at least 17,279 injured.
Since the beginning of this year, Israel has killed over 6,347 Palestinians, including 1,265 children, 322 women, and 37 journalists. At least 17,279 others have been injured.
Since October 7, 2023, the total Palestinian death toll has surpassed 55,493, mostly women and children, with more than 129,320 others injured.
Approximately 9,000 Palestinians remain missing, many trapped under rubble or lying in streets inaccessible to rescue teams due to ongoing bombing, massive destruction, and the lack of fuel and machinery.
In the occupied West Bank during the same timeframe, Israeli soldiers and paramilitary settlers have killed 992 Palestinians, including 200 children, 21 women, 15 elderly individuals, and one journalist.
Among those killed, 228 were extrajudicially executed, 403 were killed during Israeli military invasions, and 24 were killed by settlers. Israeli authorities also continue to withhold the bodies of 239 slain Palestinians.
