The Addameer Association for Human Rights in Gaza confirmed that the closure of the sea to fishermen and citizens comes within the framework of the comprehensive blockade and inhumane and illegal collective punishment policy imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the Gaza Strip since October 2023. It constitutes an extension of the policy of genocide, starvation, and systematic destruction that affects various aspects of life in the Strip.
“In continuation of the genocidal crime, the Israeli occupation forces decided on Saturday morning, July 12, 2025, to impose strict security restrictions in the maritime area adjacent to the Gaza Strip, including a complete ban on entering the sea under flimsy security pretexts,” the statement added. “The spokesperson for the occupation army announced a renewed reminder of the imposed naval blockade, warning fishermen, swimmers, and divers against approaching the sea, and threatening to target anyone who violates these orders.”
According to field data monitored by Addameer, approximately 6,000 fishermen and fishing workers have been prevented from practicing their profession since the beginning of the occupation's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. This war resulted in the martyrdom of 204 fishermen, including 51 fishermen killed while fishing. The occupation forces also destroyed approximately 2,000 fishing boats and inflicted severe damage to the fishing sector's infrastructure, including the destruction of 4,660 tons of the total fish production. They also damaged the Gaza port and fishing harbors, in addition to destroying fishing equipment storage rooms, exacerbating the suffering of thousands of families who depend on fishing as their sole source of livelihood.
She noted that as a result of the ongoing war and the destruction of infrastructure and sewage treatment plants in Gaza, wastewater is leaking into the sea. Solid waste and filth are also accumulating in the seawater as a result of the displacement of thousands of citizens and their residency in tents on the beachfront, creating serious marine pollution that threatens citizens' health.
Addameer Association asserted that the occupation's decision to prevent fishermen from entering the sea, and citizens from swimming or fishing, is an attempt to mislead public opinion. The occupation has issued similar decisions since the start of the aggression on Gaza 21 months ago, prohibiting fishermen and citizens from entering the sea and threatening them with death.
She explained that the policies pursued by the occupation forces against more than 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which guarantees the right to work and the freedom to earn a living by legitimate means.
Addameer called on the international community, including the United Nations and the Human Rights Council, to intervene immediately and urgently to halt Israeli violations and lift the naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip for more than 17 years.
שתף את דעתך
"Addameer": The decision to close the sea to fishermen and citizens deepens the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.