Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Calm amid the constant sound of war, the Mediterranean on Gaza’s shores stands out as the only sight that hasn't been sabotaged by the Israeli army.
It not only represents a source of livelihood for Gaza's fishermen but is also a symbolic part of the city's identity.
“I have been working in the fishing profession for 30 years. We have never experienced days like these before,” Ibrahim Al Ra'I, a fisherman, told The National.
Mr Al Ra'I is now displaced from western Gaza to the Jabilia refugee camp, one of the older camps in Gaza which, like most of the densely populated enclave, has been heavily bombed.
After a brief truce last year, the Israeli army withdrew from the beachside camp, allowing Mr Al Ra'I to venture to the sea for short distances and catch some fish.
The risks were high, and the army targeted them more than once – Israeli patrol boats are often close to the shore while drones hover above Gaza almost constantly. However, driven by hunger and the need to feed their children, Mr Al Ra'I and a few other fishermen insisted on going down to the sea.
“For more than a day, we sold fish, but unfortunately, prices were high compared to normal days because the quantities were limited,” Mr Al Ra'I said.
The impact of the war on the fishing sector was severe, with boats destroyed and equipment lost, turning the sea from a source of livelihood into a great danger.
Hani Rizq now lives in Al Shatee Camp in Jabilia, after the Israeli army asked residents west of Gaza city to flee.
“During the ceasefire, we were able to reach the sea and the port for the first time. We saw how the army destroyed everything related to fishermen,” Mr Rizq told The National.
Large boats and valuable equipment were all destroyed, indicating an intention to devastate the entire fishing sector.
Returning to Al Shatee after the ceasefire, Mr Rizq and his family sought refuge in schools as their homes were significantly damaged. Despite the challenges, they went back to the sea to fish, selling their catch to provide for their children.
The division of the Gaza Strip into zones of conflict by the Israeli army has created food and aid shortages, with the North particularly affected.
Yahya Ghubayin, from the overcrowded and bombed Jabilia camp, was also determined to reach the sea daily if only for a brief sense of escapism from months of war. He highlighted the sea as the only constant in Gaza, contrasting with the destruction behind him.
“I finally reached the sea after four months, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of northern Gaza, leaving behind a scene of massive and terrifying destruction,” Mr Ghubayin shared with The National.
Upon reaching the sea, he observed traces of Israeli soldiers, their discarded food scattered along the shore. Undeterred by the scorching weather, he and three others made the decision to go swimming.
“As my body touched the water, I felt a connection to Gaza and its sea, something we were deprived of for so long. The seawater was warm, and we relished in the joy of swimming. However, our ability to venture far was limited as the presence of Israelis in front of us posed a potential threat,” he added.
“Turning my face towards the sea, I found the only unchanged element in Gaza. Yet, behind me lay the devastated Gaza, a heartbreaking sight.”
Reflecting on the past, Mr Ghubayin said “before the war, the beach thrived with life, beauty, restaurants and cafes. Today, it stands as a landscape of destruction and ruins, marked by many horrific scenes. Despite all this devastation, I will personally continue to cherish and visit the sea of Gaza.”
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
