A Broken Board.. and a Sport Trying to Survive in Gaza

Gaza - Afaq News - Lina Ali - Riding the sea was not new for the adventurous young man Khalil Abu Jiab, but today he no longer experiences it in the same way. After the wave touched his surfboard again, for a moment, the war, the bitterness of displacement, and everything he endured over the past three years faded from his thoughts, and he felt he had regained something of his previous life that he had lost.

Khalil is 19 years old, but his relationship with surfing began when he was 5 years old, extending over more than 14 years, until it became part of his identity.

After surfing became part of his future plans that he aspired to build, and the dream of becoming a professional outside the Gaza Strip touched his spirit, he was forced to pause temporarily due to the outbreak of war in October 2023. Going to the beach and practicing the sport became more difficult and dangerous, and thinking about securing daily needs and family safety became more urgent than thinking about training and competitions.

Khalil is one of 17 young men who have become professionals in the sport in the Gaza Strip, but most of them were forced to stop due to the loss of equipment, the inability to purchase replacements, and the changing priorities of life due to the emergency circumstances imposed by the war.

The surfing club in Gaza estimated, in a brief statement published on its website, that about 10 surfboards survived the war, but most of them are damaged, and surfers have no materials to repair them.

According to the club, the entry of surfboards and equipment is currently impossible due to the occupation's ban, classifying them as having dual-use, adding that it is working hard to communicate with the relevant authorities to obtain permission to bring them in.

Khalil says that like his other friends, he was forced to temporarily stop practicing his favorite sport during periods of displacement, after finding himself facing completely different priorities than he was used to. He was thinking about how to protect himself and his family from the dangers of war and moving from place to place, while the idea of sports and protecting his surfboard was not as important. He added that the displacement areas barely accommodate family members, in addition to the heavy weight of the board and the difficulty of carrying and moving it from one place to another.

The board could have ended its owner's relationship with surfing, but (Mohammed Farhat), who lost his board during the war, tried in every way to obtain another surfboard to continue his passion for the sport. After his board was destroyed due to the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip and the family's repeated displacement, Mohammed could not protect his board from damage. However, he worked hard to find a replacement, but finding an alternative board was extremely difficult given the tough economic conditions and the high prices of boards compared to before the war.

Finally, after a long search, Mohammed was able to buy a broken surfboard from an old player who had kept it since 2007. He had to pay a high amount of about 2500 shekels to purchase it, in addition to the cost of repairing it later.

Obtaining the board did not mean that the problem was over, as buying a broken board requires repairs. After restoring it, its weight became heavier than its original weight. "When we buy a broken surfboard and it is repaired, the board is not the same as before; it becomes heavier, which affects its movement over the wave and makes it more difficult to control."

Mohammed Abu Jiyab, 53, a marine rescuer and one of the founders of the surfing team in Gaza, confirms that there are no places to manufacture surfboards, which has made it more difficult to obtain new boards for athletes. When old boards are consumed and repeatedly repaired, they gradually deteriorate, affecting the quality of the board. Therefore, the number of boards available in the Gaza Strip after the war is very limited compared to before the war, especially since no surfboards have entered the strip since 2007. The Israeli side considered that the entry of these boards falls under the list of prohibited materials from entering the strip.

The war did not succeed in ending Khalil and Mohammed's relationship with the sea. For them, returning to the sea and riding the board after everything they have been through was a reminder that there is a part of their lives they do not want to lose. This sport is not just a hobby that can be abandoned; for them, the sea brings back a feeling they have missed throughout the war, and surfing gives them a sense of freedom.

The ambition of surfers in Gaza has not stopped at preserving what remains of the sport; they aspire in the future to be able to train children and youth in surfing and keep the sport present among them. They want to pass on what they learned since childhood to a new generation to give them the opportunity to get to know the sea and enjoy the sport as they did since they were young.

Despite the ongoing aggression and the unclear situation, the two young men, Khalil and Mohammed, still hope that these worn-out boards will serve as a gateway for surfing enthusiasts to cling to their dream, continue their passion, and eventually compete in external arenas.