Gaza beach
Photo: AP
Waves of hope on the beach of Gaza
The daily routine and the heat drive many Gaza residents to find refuge on the Strip's beaches. Abu-Muhammad, a Gaza cab driver, opens a window to a different Gaza
At the end of every day, Abu Muhammad, a Gaza taxi driver, goes to the beach at Jabalya. Abu Muhammad, along with thousands of Gaza Strip residents, tries to forget the hardships and find a little optimism in the waves. In a special monologue to Ynet he talks about the sea's calming effect and describes how the small beach turned into the place in which residents become equal and classless.
"I finish work in the evening, I go home, pick up the wife and the two little ones and we go to the beach. What is there to do at home? Watch TV? It's all the same anyway. Watch the news? It's all bad. What's left? The beach. My youngest does not go to kindergarten and the older one is on vacation. So they fall asleep on the beach. That's fine. At least they get some fresh air. We don't have an AC at home.
"For me the beach is a refuge. Sometimes, on the Jabalya beach, there is no place to sit. Everyone goes to the beach, everybody escapes to the beach.
"Usually I go in the evening because the sun is down and I don't need to rent a tent or an umbrella that costs money. Sometime, when there's no work, we go during the day. Those who can afford it rent tents for NIS 20 ($5). If you have less, you rent an umbrella for half the price. A table and an umbrella are
NIS 15 so I try to save the extra NIS 5 and bring a plastic table and a couple of folding chairs from home.
Children enjoy the water (Photo: AP)
"Generally, going to the beach is not expensive. You spend half-a-day there for less than NIS 30. Sometimes, you sit at home at the kids nag you. So we go to the beach. I buy them a drink or a snack at the cafeteria nearby and that keeps them quiet. I drive a lot of people. Mostly families on their way to the beach so I know how they think. A taxi, an umbrella, a couple of snacks and some drinks are NIS 50. So they spend the whole day. The poor can also afford a day at the beach especially if they bring the food with them from home.
Potatoes instead of meat
"We swim a little with the kids but most of the time we eat snacks and talk about nothing. What's there to say? Everything stinks. At the beach you see the children have fun. They don't look at the other children's toys or another kid's clothes. They are all the same – playing in the water. You just need to keep an eye out to make sure they are not going into the deep end."There are lifeguards on the beach but what can they do when they have thousands of people to watch? The lifeguards also stay late. They say it's because they want keep the children safe but everybody knows it's because they too don't want to go home.
"There are many cafeterias on our beach. They rent the place for NIS 12,000 – NIS 18,000 ($3000 - $4000). Those who rent umbrellas and tents, make a lot of money. They also clean the beach after everyone leaves. But, usually, there's no garbage left there because the children collect everything to try and sell on the market.
"When work is good and I'm in a good mood, we bring meat and barbecue. Not everyone can afford meat, so some, barbecue corn and potatoes. This week I stayed on the beach from 7 pm to 3 am. Sometimes I go with friends and we complain about the situation. I don't know who gives me a bigger headache my friends or my kids.
And thanks to the Hamas
"There are Hamas security guards on the beach at all times. Sometimes, the teenagers bother the families, yelling and cursing, walking around with no shirts on. So Hamas' guards arrive and stop them. If you cross the line, Hamas will take care of you. They do a good job.
"Yes, it is a beach but people shouldn't be yelling or cursing. There are women on the beach so walking with no shirt on is inappropriate. This is not Europe. We are not primitive but if you are over 15 or 16 years old, you should keep your shirt on. If Hamas was not watching the beach, the people would have stayed home and gone mad."
