Gaza - (AFP) - Mohamad Jerboua works with haste to restore a fishing boat in the Gaza port, nearly 15 years after boat repair work stopped due to Israel's ban on entering the necessary materials into the besieged Strip.

Jarbou and a team of technicians are facing a major challenge to repair dozens of rickety boats lined up on the sands of the beach west of Gaza City, showing signs of corrosion due to neglect resulting from the long blockade that began in 2007.

Israel prevents the entry of many materials into the Strip, including boat repair materials, claiming that they can be used for military purposes by the armed Palestinian factions.

The fishermen suffered greatly in order to repair their boats until the United Nations mediated with the Israeli authorities to allow the supply of fiberglass and its use in the framework of a UN-supervised workshop.

"I started working in this workshop two weeks ago," says Jarbou, who works in a team wearing blue uniforms and wearing masks. "It is a great achievement for the fishermen and for us as technicians, as it gave us a job opportunity."

The team works under the watch of security cameras mounted on a wooden pole as dust billows and the smell of pale blue paint wafts from a newly renovated boat.

Israel imposes a tight blockade on the impoverished and overcrowded Gaza Strip, which has a population of about 2.3 million people and suffers from unemployment of more than 50 percent, according to World Bank data.

Manal Al-Najjar, Coordination Officer at the United Nations Office in the Projects Unit, indicates that there are about 300 boats in Gaza that need to be repaired.

"In the beginning of 2022, intensive efforts were made by the United Nations with the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli side to help support the fishing sector," says al-Najjar, whose office handles infrastructure projects.

And she adds that "on November 13, the first batch of fiberglass was entered to repair ten boats," a task that takes two weeks to a month to complete.

"The agreement stipulates that these materials will be entered sequentially. Whenever a group of boats is repaired, a second batch of ten other boats will be entered under the supervision of the United Nations," the coordinating official explains.

The fishermen get the raw materials at nominal prices, but Al-Najjar confirms that they are of "high quality," referring to the happiness of the fishermen with the sailing of the first restored boat.

"We have nine boats, but we only have two engines. Some of our boats have been completely out of action for 8 years and they need a lot of fiberglass," says Salim Al-Assi (38 years old), who was lucky enough to be among the beneficiaries of the project, standing next to the fishing nets in the port. to fix it". About fifty of the Orontes' relatives work in the fishing profession.

He added, "Hundreds of fishermen have applied to benefit from the project, but I am afraid that it will not cover everyone."

However, Al-Najjar reassures the fishermen that "the project is continuing and aims not only to include glass panels and accessories, but also engines... We are not only talking about repairing the hull of the boat, but about introducing engines because many boats need that."

The disobedient fisherman also describes the suffering of the fishermen because they are prevented from entering the sea except for limited distances.

Israel controls the fishing area by air and sea, which it often shrinks or expands according to security concerns.

The armed factions in the Strip have fought four wars with Israel since 2008, and last August witnessed the last bloody escalation between the two sides.