The Sea Took Ahmed, the Occupation Took His Boat and Family
As they began hauling in their nets, three shells fired from Israeli naval gunships shattered the stillness. The boat was struck directly. Twenty-seven-year-old fisherman Ahmed Ali Othman Miqdad was killed instantly. His older brother Mohammed, 32, suffered life-threatening injuries.
Now, their brother Ayoub Miqdad stands at the shore, eyes fixed on the horizon, praying that the waves will return Ahmed's body.
'One of the shells hit him directly—his body was torn apart,' he told Palestine Newspaper, grief-stricken. 'We're still searching for him. No grave. No shroud. Just the sea, wrapping him in salt and sorrow.'
Ayoub and several local fishermen continue to scour the coastline in the hope of retrieving any trace of Ahmed's remains—seeking, at the very least, a dignified burial. Anything more human than letting the sea remain the only witness to his death.
Ahmed leaves behind a grieving wife and two young children: two-and-a-half-year-old Ali, and infant Karaz, just shy of three months old.
'He died a father, but his children will grow up with no memory of him, no grave to visit—only a fading photograph,' Ayoub said.
Mohammed now lies in the intensive care unit at Al-Shifa Medical Complex—barely functioning after months of war and supply shortages. He suffered shrapnel wounds to his chest, abdomen, and pelvis.
'His life hangs by a machine and our prayers,' Ayoub added.
A Home Reduced to Rubble
The Miqdad family's tragedy doesn't end at sea. They now live in a makeshift tent next to the ruins of what was once their home.
'Our four-storey house in Al-Shati Camp sheltered five families,' Ayoub said, pointing to the collapsed structure. 'We returned to find it completely destroyed. Now we live beside it, in tents, waiting for reconstruction that may never come.'
The brothers' fishing boat—their only source of income—was also obliterated in the shelling. It supported four families.
'We fished just enough to eat and sold the rest to cover our children's basic needs. Now we have nothing,' Ayoub said.
Under Siege at Sea
Since the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the Strip has faced an intensified maritime blockade. Thousands of fishermen have been barred from the sea, cutting off their primary means of survival.
Local data indicates that around 150 fishermen have been killed since the war began—50 of them while simply trying to feed their families.
Most of Gaza's fishing boats, even the smallest wooden ones crafted with care, have been destroyed or rendered unusable. The fishing sector, once a lifeline for many, has been all but decimated.
Gaza is home to approximately 4,500 licensed fishermen, with another 1,500 individuals dependent on related industries such as fish markets, boat repair, and ice production.
More Than a Number
Ahmed Miqdad is not just another entry in Gaza's growing list of the dead. He was a father, a husband, a brother—a vital part of Gaza's vanishing fishing community.
The sea that once gave his family life has now become his final resting place.
In Gaza, every wave carries a story. And in every torn net lies the wreckage of a dream.
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