The key facts

  • The rally in Gaza took place on the eve of the strike, in which, according to the organizers, more than 25 unions from 113 ports in 22 countries are participating
  • The head of the fishermen's union said that Palestinian fishermen have been denied access to the sea for more than three years
  • Casualty and destruction figures for Gaza are cited with reference to Palestinian sources

Solidarity with port workers

Palestinians gathered on Thursday at the fishing port west of Gaza City in support of a planned global port workers' strike and against the use of supply chains to support Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Anadolu reported this.

Scale of the strike

The action took place on the eve of labor actions planned for Friday: according to the strike organizers' estimates, more than 25 unions representing workers at 113 ports in 22 countries and territories are taking part. Work stoppages and demonstrations of varying duration are planned, with the demand to halt the transport of weapons and military equipment through civilian ports to conflict zones.

Statements from participants

Zakaria Bakr, head of the General Union of Fisheries and Marine Production Workers, said that those gathered wanted to convey to Palestinian fishermen the port workers' gratitude for their solidarity. According to him, Palestinian fishermen have been barred from access to the sea for more than three years, during which they have faced killings, injuries, arrests and destruction of property; he called for the fishermen's right to work to be restored and for solidarity actions to continue. Nour Saad, a representative of the Sumud movement, said that the global labor actions are aimed at ensuring that public resources and funds are not used to support war economies and armaments, but are directed toward meeting people's needs.

Context

The action takes place against the backdrop of ongoing Israeli restrictions that prevent Palestinian fishermen from working, amid the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Gaza. According to Palestinian figures cited by Anadolu, since October 2023 more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 175,000 wounded in the US-backed war, most of them women and children; about 90% of the enclave's infrastructure has been destroyed. These figures are attributed to the Palestinian side and were not independently verified in the publication.