Armed with a whistle, Gaza’s lifeguards do what they can to save swimmers

What the report says

Gaza’s lifeguards are continuing to monitor crowded beaches this summer even as the strip’s rescue system has been badly weakened by war and shortages, Al Jazeera reports from Gaza City. As Palestinians seek relief from heat and displacement by going to the sea, lifeguards such as Ahmed Abu Haseira and Bilal Bakar are trying to prevent drownings with very limited tools.

According to the report, the municipality’s marine rescue service has fewer lifeguards than before the war and has lost much of the infrastructure it once used. Elevated watchtowers, boats and other equipment have been destroyed, leaving many workers to operate from tents or improvised shelters with little visibility. Instead of sound systems and rescue gear, they now depend mainly on whistles, flags, voices and hand signals.

Ibrahim Shamlakh, who heads the marine rescue department, said the teams have increased coverage in crowded areas and work in two daily shifts. He said incidents rise sharply when beaches are busy, and that drownings have still occurred outside guarded zones. The article also notes that rescue equipment is scarce and expensive because of import restrictions and broader wartime disruption.

The piece shows how beach safety has become another pressure point in Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. For the lifeguards, many of whom also face irregular pay and other wartime losses, the work is both a livelihood and a way to keep serving their community despite the damage around them.