Despite continuing Israeli strikes, severe restrictions on maritime activity and widespread shortages of basic goods, several surfers in Gaza City have resumed riding waves whenever conditions allow, describing the sport as a rare psychological escape from the conflict’s destruction.Only a handful of surfers remain active in Gaza because surfboards are scarce and replacement equipment is nearly impossible to obtain, said Tahseen Abu Assi, who said he carried his board with him throughout repeated wartime displacements.

“If something happened to it I won’t be able to get another one,” Abu Assi said, adding that surfboards have not entered Gaza since 2007 due to Israeli restrictions on a range of goods entering the territory.On Tuesday, Abu Assi joined two other surfers near Gaza City’s port, including Khalil Abu Jiab, as high seasonal waves reached the shoreline.The Israeli military has heavily restricted access to Gaza’s coastal waters since the start of the war.

The United Nations has documented incidents involving fishermen and civilians coming under fire at sea or near the shore.Last year, Israel formally designated Gaza’s maritime zone a “no-go zone,” banning fishing, swimming and most civilian access to coastal waters. Israeli patrols continue to operate off Gaza’s coastline, making sea activity hazardous.

Fishing and swimming remain prohibited off northern and southern Gaza, while access near central Gaza also carries risks due to ongoing military patrols.“There is fear of course, but we can’t leave this sport,” Abu Assi said. “During the war, in the middle of the bombing and the planes above us, we used to go down and practice this sport.”

Surfing conditions in Gaza are inconsistent because the Mediterranean waves along the enclave’s coast are often too small for the sport. Surfers say they seize any opportunity when larger swells arrive.Intense fighting across Gaza eased after a ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10 last year, though intermittent Israeli strikes have continued and both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and injured over 172,000 others since the war began. The conflict has severely damaged hospitals, housing and public infrastructure while deepening shortages of food, clean water and medical supplies.

For Gaza’s remaining surfers, the coastline offers one of the few remaining spaces for temporary release from daily hardship.“As soon as the sea gets high, you leave your work and leave your whole life,” Abu Assi said. “Work can be caught up on. We go practice this sport.”

Medics said one Palestinian was killed and two others wounded in an Israeli airstrike near the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, while a separate Israeli tank shelling in the central part of the enclave killed another person and injured several more.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the reported strikes.Hostilities have persisted in Gaza despite the truce, with near-daily incidents reported by local authorities. Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire terms.At Al-Shifa Hospital, relatives gathered to mourn one of the victims, identified as Mohammed Al-Ghandour, according to hospital officials.

Witnesses described scenes of grief as family members assembled outside the morgue.Local medics say at least 830 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect, while Israeli authorities report that militants have killed four Israeli soldiers over the same period.

Israel says its operations are aimed at preventing attacks by Hamas and other militant groups.More than 72,500 Palestinians have been killed since the Gaza war began in October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities, with civilians accounting for a majority of the casualties.

Since the ceasefire, Israeli forces have maintained control over more than half of the enclave, where large-scale destruction and displacement have left much of the population of over 2 million living in makeshift shelters or damaged buildings along the coast.

The agency said the strike targeted a group of civilians near Al-Qassam mosque in Beit Lahia, with the victims transported to Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Hospital officials confirmed receiving the bodies but did not provide additional details.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing the reports and did not immediately comment further.The incident comes amid ongoing tensions between Israel Defense Forces and Hamas, with both sides accusing each other of violating a ceasefire that took effect on October 10.

The truce largely halted the war that began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 786 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began. The ministry operates under Hamas authority, though its casualty figures are widely cited by international organizations including the United Nations.

The Israeli military has reported that five of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza during the same period.Independent verification of casualty figures remains difficult due to restrictions on media access to the territory and ongoing security conditions.

The incident occurred during routine water delivery at the Mansoura water filling point, a key facility supplying Gaza City, UNICEF said in a statement, adding that two other individuals were injured in the attack.The agency said it was “outraged” by the killings and stressed that humanitarian personnel, civilians and essential infrastructure must be protected under international humanitarian law.

It urged Israeli authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.Israel’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The development comes amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that has been in place since October, ending two years of full-scale conflict.

Despite the truce, Israeli forces remain deployed across a large depopulated zone covering more than half of the Gaza Strip, while Hamas continues to control the remaining coastal territory.Violence has persisted since the ceasefire, with local medics reporting more than 750 Palestinian deaths, while militants have killed four Israeli soldiers.

Both sides have accused each other of violating the terms of the truce.UNICEF said the suspension of activities at the water site could further affect access to clean water for civilians in Gaza, where humanitarian conditions remain severe.

According to CNN journalists in Gaza City, armed gangs have increasingly taken to the streets in search of dwindling food supplies, challenging Hamas’ authority. Hamas claims some of the alleged looters are collaborating with Israel.

“A warning has been issued — those who ignore it bear full responsibility,” Hamas said.

Despite being severely weakened after 18 months of war, the executions underscore Hamas’ continued grip over the territory.

With food stocks nearly exhausted, desperation is growing. On Wednesday night, thousands of Gazans stormed a UN facility and several warehouses in Gaza City, scavenging for flour and canned goods, eyewitnesses said.

On Saturday, the Hamas-run Ministry of Interior accused “a group of outlaws and collaborators with the occupation” of stoking unrest and targeting public and private property.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has rapidly deteriorated. Famine looms over the enclave’s 2.1 million people, following Israel’s decision on March 2 to seal off all aid, including food and medicine.

Dr. Ahmad Al-Farra, head of pediatrics at Nasser Medical Complex, warned that “a looming health catastrophe is threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands.”

He said the risk of widespread deaths from malnutrition is imminent if aid is not restored. On Saturday, two-month-old Janan Saleh Al-Sakkafi died from malnutrition at Al-Rantisi Hospital, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

The U.S. State Department said an announcement on new humanitarian access to Gaza could come “in the coming days,” ensuring that aid reaches Palestinians without falling into the hands of Hamas or Islamic Jihad.

“Safeguards are finally in place. Israel remains secure, Hamas empty-handed, and Gazans with access to critical aid,” a State Department spokesperson said, describing the plan as a product of “creative thinking.” Further details were not disclosed, but a private foundation is expected to oversee the mechanism.

Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007 and has previously carried out dozens of executions, including of individuals accused of collaborating with Israel.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues its offensive. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Sunday that “tens of thousands” of reservist call-up orders would be issued this week to intensify operations in the enclave.