In Gaza’s battered waters, the simple act of fishing has become a deadly gamble. On Saturday morning, Israeli forces injured eight Palestinian fishermen off the northern and central coasts of the Strip, escalating what has become a relentless campaign against one of Gaza’s last surviving livelihoods.

Two fishermen, Mahmoud Nasser Mahfouz and Mohammed Al-Zant, were wounded by shrapnel when an Israeli drone dropped a bomb on their boat north of Gaza City. Meanwhile, Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat treated six others after Israeli naval forces shelled a fishing vessel near Al-Zawaida.

According to Zakaria Bakr, head of the General Union for the Fishing Sector, attacks on fishermen have intensified sharply since Israel resumed its aggression on Gaza last month. Speaking to Snd news agency, Bakr described how the Israeli military now uses quadcopter drones to bomb fishing boats, chasing fishermen even in the narrow, suffocating zone of just 500 metres they are allowed to navigate.

Once the second-largest sector after agriculture, Gaza’s fishing industry is on the verge of collapse. Since October 2023, over 200 fishermen have been killed, including 60 who died while trying to fish using makeshift tools like refrigerator doors or small paddle boats. With fewer than 400 fishermen remaining from the 4,500 before the war, and a 98% drop in output, the sector now suffers catastrophic monthly losses estimated at $7 million.

As Gaza’s sea is turned into yet another battlefield, its fishermen cling to survival—hunted for daring to seek a living under siege.