Paddle power on show as Gaza holds kayak race

A kayak race was held in the besieged Gaza Strip yesterday with men and women participating.

The Gaza Rowing Club held the race despite Israeli restrictions and bans on the entry of marine equipment into the Strip since the siege in 2007.

A small number of boats competed in races which pitted single men against each other, married men against their married peers and women against other females.

Israel imposed a land, sea and air siege on the Gaza Strip in 2007 which it has since tightened. It limits or completely bans the entry of numerous items including foodstuff, building and recreational materials.

The UN has joined human rights groups to call on the occupation state to end the blockade as it has made the Gaza Strip “uninhabitable” and is a form of collective punishment against Palestinians there, which is illegal under international law.

READ: Israel preparing to operate armed drones in nightly raids in West Bank

A kayak race was held in the besieged Gaza Strip yesterday with men and women participating [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

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