Gaza’s surfers seek solace from war in the Mediterranean Sea
Gaza surfers Tahseen Abu Assi (left), Abdel Rahim Ustadh (centre) and Khalil Abu Jiyab carry their surfboards along a beach by the Mediterranean sea in Gaza City
AFP reports in Al Jazeera on 22 June 2026:
Carrying their boards past tents and bombed-out buildings, a group of Gaza surfers headed for the sea, seeking solace in the waves despite the risk of Israeli attacks. On the beach in Gaza City, the trio laid out their boards on the sand while they warmed up their limbs and readied their gear.
A few children splashed in the shallows as the surfers paddled out to sea, fighting the crashing waves.
“This sport is indescribable. When you catch a wave, ride it, glide along it, that feeling can’t be put into words,” said 23-year-old Tahseen Abu Assi, who learned how to surf from his father. “I used to see him practising it at the beach with his father, and I watched and learned from them,” he told the AFP news agency. “We learned little by little, and even with the war, the shelling, and the destruction, we’re still continuing with this sport, because it lets us breathe and makes us feel safe.”
A ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas came into effect in Gaza in October, after Israel’s devastating two-year war on the enclave. But the tiny coastal territory remains gripped by bloodshed, with each side accusing the other of near-daily violations.
Even out at sea, the violence persists. In mid-May, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported receiving two fishermen who had been injured by Israeli naval gunfire near the beach in the southern Gaza Strip. A few days later, a Gaza security source reported that three fishermen were wounded by Israeli fire near the coast off Gaza City.
“The situation is still unstable,” Abu Assi explained. “At any moment, shells or explosives could land near you.”
Candle wax
Out at sea, the surfers glide effortlessly across the crests of waves, momentarily free from the hardships of daily life in Gaza. But the severe shortages caused by the war and ongoing Israeli import restrictions have posed obstacles for the sport. “One of the biggest challenges and difficulties we face as surfers in the Gaza Strip is the lack of tools and equipment specific to this sport,” Abdel Rahim Ustadh, 19, told AFP.