Monday, June 5, 2023
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Gaza fishermen rejoice at finally fixing their boats

AFPbyAFP
December 5, 2022, 11:00 am
in News, World News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

By Rosie Scammell and Belal Alsabbagh

Wearing sky blue overalls near Gaza’s port, technician Mohammed Jerboa celebrates the chance to finally repair fishing boats after a 15-year Israeli ban on vital materials. 

A Palestinian fisherman carries the day’s catch at the port Gaza City early on December 1, 2022. Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP

It’s a “great achievement”, he said after sanding down the faded paint as part of a team of workers patching up rickety boats with sheets of newly imported fibreglass.

The material has been prohibited from entering the Palestinian enclave since 2007, as one of scores of items Israel deems could be used for military purposes by Gaza militants.

The measures have left fishermen struggling for years to pursue their livelihood due to the state of the boats — until the United Nations brokered a deal that allows fibreglass to reach a supervised workshop.

“I started working at this workshop two weeks ago… for the fishermen and for us as technicians, this provided a job opportunity,” said Jerboa.

Gaza has one of the world’s highest unemployment rates at nearly 50 percent, according to World Bank data.

Dust flies as the team gets to work, within view of a security camera, while the smell of fresh paint drifts across the fenced yard from a recently refurbished boat.

Rows of unseaworthy vessels rest in the sand nearby, with rusty parts and covered in scratches, laying bare the scale of the task at hand.

Manal al-Najjar, a coordination officer at the United Nations Office for Project Services — which handles infrastructure projects — said there are still some 300 boats to be fixed.

After months of negotiations with Palestinian and Israeli officials, the UN reached a deal which allows enough fibreglass for 10 boats to enter Gaza at a time.

“The repair process takes two weeks to a month for every 10 boats,” Najjar said.

With the first repaired boats hitting the water, she added that fishermen so far are happy with the project as “the price is very reasonable and the quality of the materials is high”.

‘Suffocated’ by restrictions

Standing near piles of nets at the port, fisherman Saleem al-Assi was one of the first to be selected for the project and agreed the costs were low.

“I’ve had boats out of action for eight years and they need a lot of fibreglass,” said Assi, who has around 50 relatives working in the fishing trade.

“Hundreds of fishermen applied to the project, but the project can’t cover everyone,” he added.

In addition to the difficulty to obtain materials, the fishing industry has been hit by restrictions at sea. 

As part of Israel’s blockade on Gaza, imposed in 2007 after the Palestinian militant group Hamas took power, the navy enforces a fishing zone that limits the catch.

Israel has fought four wars with Palestinian militants over the past 14 years, as well as a three-day conflict in August which left 49 Gazans dead.

At the port, Assi welcomed the fibreglass project but lamented that he still cannot get his family’s nine boats out to sea.

“We only have two motors. Motors are non-existent,” he said.

Najjar acknowledged the shortage and said the UN plans to import motors as part of its project.

Standing beside the calm Mediterranean waters, Assi said the lack of equipment due to Israeli restrictions has “suffocated us”.

“I don’t know why Israel is blocking their entry. Will rockets be fired from boats?”

Tags: BoatsGazaMohammed Jerboa
ADVERTISEMENT
AFP

AFP

Related Posts

Gunmen kill five in Ecuador city hit by drug violence

byAFP
June 5, 2023, 1:00 pm
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

Quito, Ecuador - Gunmen killed at least five people and wounded eight Sunday in a home in the Ecuadoran city of...

Read more

Pill halves risk of death in type of lung cancer

byAFP
June 5, 2023, 12:00 pm
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

Washington, United States - A pill has been shown to halve the risk of death from a certain type of lung...

Read more

Senegal opposition slams police brutality after 16 killed in clashes

byAFP
June 5, 2023, 12:00 pm
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

Dakar, Senegal - Supporters of Senegal's firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko condemned police brutality on Sunday after clashes over his recent...

Read more

DOE pushes faster EV rollout in PH

byThe Standard
June 5, 2023, 10:24 am
0
8

The Department of Energy (DOE) is pushing for a faster rollout of electric vehicles (EVs) in the Philippines to help...

Read more

Morocco’s king, after long trips abroad, works to ‘restore authority’

byAFP
June 5, 2023, 10:00 am
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

Rabat, Morocco - Morocco's king has embarked on a whirlwind of public activities, which observers say aim to "restore the authority"...

Read more

Saudi Arabia slashes output further to boost oil price

byAFP
June 5, 2023, 9:00 am
0
8
Oil market uncertain, fragmented after Ukraine invasion

Vienna, Austria - Riyadh on Sunday announced a fresh oil output cut following a meeting of major producers aiming to prop...

Read more

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Gunmen kill five in Ecuador city hit by drug violence
  • Pill halves risk of death in type of lung cancer
  • Senegal opposition slams police brutality after 16 killed in clashes
  • Duplantis sets new 2023 pole vault best
  • Foundever creates 2k+ job vacancies with first Partnership Summit
  • Heat bounce back vs Nuggets, tie NBA Finals at 1-1
  • DOE pushes faster EV rollout in PH
  • Morocco’s king, after long trips abroad, works to ‘restore authority’

Advertisement

Latest News

Heat bounce back vs Nuggets, tie NBA Finals at 1-1

byManila Standard Sports
June 5, 2023, 10:52 am
0
8
Heat bounce back vs Nuggets, tie NBA Finals at 1-1

Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat drives to the basket against Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets during the second...

Read more

DOE pushes faster EV rollout in PH

byThe Standard
June 5, 2023, 10:24 am
0
8

The Department of Energy (DOE) is pushing for a faster rollout of electric vehicles (EVs) in the Philippines to help...

Read more

Morocco’s king, after long trips abroad, works to ‘restore authority’

byAFP
June 5, 2023, 10:00 am
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

Rabat, Morocco - Morocco's king has embarked on a whirlwind of public activities, which observers say aim to "restore the authority"...

Read more

Saudi Arabia slashes output further to boost oil price

byAFP
June 5, 2023, 9:00 am
0
8
Oil market uncertain, fragmented after Ukraine invasion

Vienna, Austria - Riyadh on Sunday announced a fresh oil output cut following a meeting of major producers aiming to prop...

Read more

Hong Kong police detain more than 20 on Tiananmen anniversary

byAFP
June 5, 2023, 8:00 am
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

Hong Kong, China - Hong Kong police on Sunday detained more than 20 people, including key pro-democracy figures trying to commemorate...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App