‘We had an ordinary life’: Iran fisherwoman navigates uncertainty of war

What the report says

In a first-person testimony published by Al Jazeera, Khadijeh Bandari, a 28-year-old fisherwoman from Hengam Island in southern Iran, describes how war between the United States and Israel upended daily life for her family and others in the island community. The account says she had long worked at sea with her mother, later ran a small guesthouse and seaside restaurant with her husband, and sold fish online to customers in several Iranian cities. According to the report, those businesses were hit first by an internet shutdown and then by the start of bombing in late February, after which the island’s fishing and tourism economy began to unravel.

Bandari says the pier was closed, boat traffic was restricted and residents feared being targeted, making fishing unsafe and cutting off travel between Hengam and nearby Qeshm Island. As attacks continued, some families left while others stayed because they had nowhere else to go or did not want to abandon their homes. She describes trying to protect her three-year-old son from the sounds of explosions and finding temporary ways to keep a sense of routine amid fear and uncertainty.

The testimony also says the bombardment damaged homes, boats and other livelihoods on Hengam, leaving some residents with destroyed vessels or debts tied to boat purchases. Bandari says her family eventually relocated to Iran’s northern coast, where her husband found work, while she began making seashell jewellery. She says her mother has since returned to fishing, despite ongoing worries about renewed strikes. The piece highlights how conflict can affect coastal communities by disrupting transport, food supply, work and housing all at once.