Life on the beaches of Tel Aviv and Gaza City – in pictures

The beaches in Tel Aviv and Gaza City, just 70km (40 miles) apart, are different worlds on opposite sides of a century-old conflict, but on long summer days Israelis and Palestinians enjoy some of the same delights. Photographs by Oded Balilty in Tel Aviv and Khalil Hamra in Gaza City

• Palestinians enjoy a summer day on the beach of Gaza City, and beachgoers relax in Tel Aviv

• Palestinians ride horses on the beach of Gaza City, and Israelis play with their pets on a dog-friendly beach

• Palestinians cover a boy with sand on the beach of Gaza City, and Israelis do the same in Tel Aviv

• Palestinian women walk to the water’s edge on the beach of Gaza City, and two Israeli women take a selfie on the beach in Tel Aviv

• Palestinians jump into the water on the beach of Gaza City, and Israeli boys jump into the Mediterranean Sea on Tel Aviv’s beach

• Lifeguard stations on the beaches in Gaza City and Tel Aviv

• Men exercise on the beaches in Gaza City and Tel Aviv

• Three Palestinian men pose for a photograph on the beach of Gaza City, and three Israelis do the same on the beach in Tel Aviv

• Natalia Shishova poses at the beach in Tel Aviv, and Ruba Shabit poses for a portrait on the beach of Gaza City

• Children play on the beaches of Gaza City and Tel Aviv

• A Palestinian man wears a necklace with a map of Palestine on the beach of Gaza City, and an Israeli beach worker wears a necklace with the Star of David on the beachfront in Tel Aviv

• Palestinians play cards on the beach of Gaza City, and Israelis play chess on Tel Aviv’s beach

• Palestinian children play in the water as the sun sets over the beach of Gaza City, and Israelis do the same at sunset in Tel Aviv

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