Gaza's fishing industry hit hard in latest round of Israel-Hamas conflict

China

Gaza's fishing industry hit hard in latest round of Israel-Hamas conflict

2024-12-25 14:53 Last Updated At：17:37

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimated that daily fish catches in the Gaza Strip between October 2023 and April 2024 dropped to only 7.3 percent of that of 2022, which is expected to further worsen the food insecurity and famine risks in the region.

According to Ahmed El-Ejla, project coordinator at Al-Tawfiq Cooperative Society for Fisheries, many fishing boats, nets and conservation facilities were destroyed in the latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict which broke out in October last year.

"Fishermen in Gaza are supposed to catch 15 to 20 tons of fish on a daily basis during this season. However, they would only catch 2 to 5 kilograms of fish everyday as of now," he said.

Khaled Radwan Ahmad Al-Laham, a 35-year-old fisher from Khan Younis who previously benefited from the marine cage farms within the FAO project, was able to make a living. He said the war had destroyed his life, and left local fishers in huge losses "We were able to get by before the war. The sea provided us with a source of income and employment. We were satisfied and getting by as everything just went fine. However, the war broke out and brought an end to everything." he said.

Israeli forces have imposed a fishing ban over adjacent waters off the Gaza Strip, which restricted the entry of local fishers, leaving most fishermen without an access to the sea for fishing.

Even if they fish in near-shore waters, fishermen still face great security risks.

"Most of the fishermen mention that their assets, their vessels, all of their belongings have been destroyed during the war. They cannot access the sea."said Wael Aldaya, FAO fisheries project manager.

Local fishers hope that they can reach the waters as early as possible to continue their normal lives. "My wish is that they could open the sea for us, so we can go fishing safely. Then I hope they would provide us with fishing supplies, like nets, fiberglass and these things, so we can survive on our own," said Khaled Radwan Ahmad Al-Laham, a local fisher. .

Canton Fair enters third phase, featuring lifestyle products

The third phase of the 139th China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, opened Friday in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, featuring a dazzling array of lifestyle products.

The five-day segment of the world's largest trade fair , running May 1 till 5, focuses on toys, maternity and childcare products, home textiles, stationery, as well as health and leisure goods, with an exhibition area of 515,000 square meters and 25,000 booths.

The third phase also displays smart healthcare products, fashion trends, and silver economy applications, closely addressing the diverse needs of global consumers for health quality, personalized consumption, and emotional companionship, and will launch over 150 new product debut events.

The Canton Fair runs from April 15 till May 5 in three phases, each highlighting categories from advanced manufacturing to home living and lifestyle products. Covering 1.55 million square meters, the fair features 75,700 booths and more than 32,000 enterprises, including about 3,900 first time exhibitors.

Established in 1957, the Canton Fair takes place twice a year in Guangzhou. It is the longest-running of several comprehensive international trade events in China, and has been hailed as the barometer of China's foreign trade.