Gaza surfers maintain practice amid reported community collapse

A small group of surfers in Gaza continues to engage in the sport in the Mediterranean Sea, seeking a form of respite from the ongoing conflict, despite reports that the local community has been severely impacted by the war.

According to a report published by Al Jazeera on 22 June 2026, the Gaza surf community has been described as having been “nearly wiped out” by Israel’s military operations. The source material characterises these operations as a “genocidal war”, a term that remains a contested legal and political characterization and is attributed to the source rather than presented as established fact.

The report highlights the resilience of the individuals who continue to ride the waves, although it does not specify the exact number of surfers currently active in the region. Similarly, the specific locations within Gaza where these activities are taking place are not detailed in the provided text.

This report comes against a backdrop of escalating regional tensions. Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz following recent US airstrikes in southern Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliatory strikes. Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya command announced on Thursday that the waterway was closed to all vessel traffic, a claim denied by US Central Command, which stated that commercial ships continue to transit the area.

The broader context of the report includes recent military exchanges, with Iran firing missiles at Israeli targets in retaliation for an attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs, and Israel conducting strikes on military targets in western and central Iran, including Tehran, Tabriz, and Isfahan. The US forces also hit Iran with 49 Tomahawk missiles in a bombing raid early on Thursday Iran time.

Independent verification of the extent of casualties within the surf community is not available in this digest. The focus remains on the reported continuation of the sport by a small number of individuals amidst the wider devastation.