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'Are They Going to Ban the Air Next?' IDF Reiterates Ban on Gazans Entering the Sea, a Final Source of Relief for Many
The Israeli military issued a reminder to Palestinians in Gaza that accessing the Mediterranean Sea along the Gaza Strip is forbidden – a rarely enforced restriction in place since the start of the war that will affect Palestinians who are already enduring acute water shortages, extreme summer heat and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in overcrowded tent camps.
--snip--
The policy was originally put in place on October 7, 2023 and has technically been in place since, although the Israeli army did not appear to enforce the ban against swimmers and bathers, only fishermen. The statement did not elaborate on the duration of the ban or the specific security concerns behind it, nor why the IDF is reiterating it now.
--snip--
"I'm literally dizzy from hunger, thirst and the heat," said Rajaa Qudeih, a 31-year-old mother of two from Deir al-Balah. "Gaza is going through the worst famine, we haven't eaten, and we can't even find a piece of bread."
Her family, like many others, has been sheltering in a makeshift camp near the beach. The sea, she explained, was their only reprieve. "The sea was the only outlet left. If they kill us for going there, maybe that would be easier than this slow death," she said. "Still, I fear for my children. My oldest is nine. How can I convince him that swimming in the sea could get him killed?"
She added, "We are camped by the sea. Where else can we go? Are they going to ban the air from us next?"
--snip--
--snip--
The policy was originally put in place on October 7, 2023 and has technically been in place since, although the Israeli army did not appear to enforce the ban against swimmers and bathers, only fishermen. The statement did not elaborate on the duration of the ban or the specific security concerns behind it, nor why the IDF is reiterating it now.
--snip--
"I'm literally dizzy from hunger, thirst and the heat," said Rajaa Qudeih, a 31-year-old mother of two from Deir al-Balah. "Gaza is going through the worst famine, we haven't eaten, and we can't even find a piece of bread."
Her family, like many others, has been sheltering in a makeshift camp near the beach. The sea, she explained, was their only reprieve. "The sea was the only outlet left. If they kill us for going there, maybe that would be easier than this slow death," she said. "Still, I fear for my children. My oldest is nine. How can I convince him that swimming in the sea could get him killed?"
She added, "We are camped by the sea. Where else can we go? Are they going to ban the air from us next?"
--snip--
Why can't children play in the ocean or people be allowed to bathe? There is no functioning sanitation or water system, it's been destroyed.
Cruelty seems to be the point. Palestinians are being driven to their breaking point by these inhuman living conditions - until they become "willing" to "voluntarily migrate" aka ethnically cleanse themselves.
Meanwhile, there will be no swimming in a concentration camp.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-07-13/ty-article/.premium/are-they-going-to-ban-the-air-next-idf-reiterates-ban-on-gazans-entering-the-sea/00000198-0473-dd18-a7dd-0dff4d050000
https://archive.is/Hkk1R