Yusuf Ghanem is 22 years old and has been surfing since he was 12. “Surfing is our family hobby, since we live beside the sea,” he says.
Ghanem received six surfboards from abroad after waiting for three years. Those surfboards succeeded in entering Gaza only after an international foundation pressured Israeli authorities. Recently, surfers in Gaza received another 20 surfboards and six professional surfers and another 50 beginners are using them to train. These surfboards were partially damaged, despite fixing is unavailable due to the lack of Israeli-banned fiberglass material.
Ghanem says they wish to have their own club, including special uniforms and international sponsorship, but for the time being they train only by watching YouTube videos.
Mohammed Aldoos, 20, started surfing five years ago. He says that surfers in Gaza suffer from a lack of training and proper materials. “I don’t have my own surfboard, so I have to borrow from a friend,” he explains. He says they also need special uniforms to surf during the winter.
“I hope to participate in a global competition, in oceans with high waves,” Aldoos says. “We look forward to meeting international surfers and benefitting from their experience, but Israeli authorities ban us from crossing into Israel to participate and used to ban surfing equipment.”
Here are more photos of surfing in Gaza:
what a great article, photos and video!!! i love this. thank you thank you thank you.
the photo, 2nd from the last, is stunning.
I wish they could use the Phillip George surfboards.
Ghazawis are only vermin in Hebrew.
In every other language they are gloriously human.
The petty state of israel shows off, again, its parochial true colours.
The wanna-be-global-player has to stoop to harassing footballers and surfers to appear like a partner of consequence. To whom exactly? Nobody is buying. Not even the US, despite superficial, if deadly, appearances to the contrary for the sake of the maintaining the military bases in israel-occupied Palestine.
Best wishes to Gazza’s surfers. I hope the world’s community of surfers will be able to invite and help train a few Palestinian surfing aficionados.
The petty state of israel shows off, again, its parochial true colours.
The wanna-be-global-player has to stoop to harassing footballers and surfers to appear like a partner of consequence. To whom exactly? Nobody is buying. Not even the US, despite superficial appearances to the contrary.
Best wishes to Gazza’s surfers. I hope the world’s community of surfers will be able to invite and help train a few Palestinian surfing aficionados.