Palestinians search for drowned Egypt sailors

Stormy weather drowned seven sailors not far from Port Said, Egypt, with continued rough seas moving their remains further afield

by Mohammed Asad

Palestinian divers in the Gaza Strip launch a search mission in an effort to locate the remains of Egyptian sailors lost at sea during stormy weather last week, on 26 February 2021 [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

Palestinian divers in the Gaza Strip have launched a search mission in an effort to locate the remains of Egyptian sailors lost at sea during stormy weather last week.

“I joined this team with my fellow divers as part of a humanitarian mission that expresses Arabism, nationalism and loyalty from the Palestinian people to the Egyptian people,” said Mohammed Asad an expeditionary diver and MEMO photographer.

Stormy weather drowned seven sailors not far from Port Said, Egypt, with continued rough seas moving their remains further afield. Palestinians believe the weather conditions may have led to the bodies coming into Gaza’s waters after the remains of Maher Ebeid, 47, were found on the coast of Rafah. Authorities in Gaza then handed his body to Egypt.

Israel’s continued siege on the Gaza Strip means divers are using old, worn-out fins and diving apparatus as these items are not allowed entry into the Strip under its stifling terms.

READ: Gaza suffers $1.5m losses after Israel causes floods

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