GAZA (AA) - Number of recreational areas in Gaza increased 39 percent in 2012, according to data provided by Palestinian Ministry of Tourism
Total number of such areas reached to 107 in 2012 from 77 in 2009 despite an eight-year-old Israeli blockade.
Beachside recreational sites help Gazans forget about both the blockade and their dire conditions and offer a relief from conflict and clashes in the region.
"Everyone who sees people having fun here wonder where all this happiness is coming from. I say the answer is very clear: Gaza wants to live. If it weren't for those blue waves, Gaza would die," Omar Hamade, a 45-year-old Gazan told the Anadolu Agency.
"You feel yourself in a different universe. We feel like we are in a universe far away from Gaza," Rim Ashur (13), who came to the amusement park with her family, said.
