Pictures .. Gaza fishermen convert the doors of refrigerators into fishing boats

In light of the destruction left by the war on the Gaza Strip, the fisherman Khaled Habib resorted to innovation to face the challenges facing it. After the Israeli army destroyed his boat, Habib turned the door of an old refrigerator into a floating board that he used to hunt in the Gaza port.

Habib’s story reflects the suffering of thousands of fishermen who have lost their lives due to the war that has been going on for more than 15 months.

The destruction of the Gaza port and the loss of ways to live

The Gaza port did not escape from the destructive Israeli bombing, as most fishing boats were destroyed and pushed on the beach, and Khaled Habib says: The situation is very difficult, no fishing boats remain, all of which are destroyed and the suffering of people is great. He adds that the Israeli army “destroyed all fishermen’s boats, as if they were being exterminated.”

Creating the refrigerator door: an alternative hunting solution

In front of these difficulties, Habib decided to make a rudimentary boat from the door of an old refrigerator, so he stuffed the door with the cork to make him float, and his surface was covered with wood and its bottom with nylon to protect him from the water and on this floating plate, a lover stands and stands up, using cages of wire to fish after the fishing nets became rare.

The effect of war on the fishing sector

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the average daily fishing in Gaza decreased between October 2023 and the April 2024 to only 7.3% of the levels of 2022, causing production losses estimated at $ 17.5 million. These numbers reflect the economic catastrophe experienced by the 2.4 million Gaza fishermen.

Continuous challenges even with the armistice

Habib says: “Even with a truce, if we leave the port, the Israeli boats will shoot us,” says Habib.

He added that the amount of fish he hunts is sufficient only to consume his family, and sometimes he sells little in the market that suffers from scarcity of goods and buyers.

Widespread

Children’s education: a glimmer of hope

Despite the difficulties, Habib found a way to inspire others. He says: “If we create a new generation that learns to swim and make boats from the doors of refrigerators, everyone will learn to swim and blasphemy.”

The idea of ​​the idea among the fishermen

The idea of ​​Habib received great approval among the fishermen, especially the younger generation, who started making similar floating panels. The floating plate can carry three people, and sometimes he puts a chair lover on him to rest from standing while hunting.