ISRAELI FORCES OPEN FIRE AT FISHERMEN, FARMERS IN GAZA

Gaza, 1 Rajab 1436/20 April 2015 (MINA) – Israeli military forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen and farmers in the Gaza Strip on Monday, locals said.

Witnesses told Ma’an that naval forces opened fire at fishermen in the northern Gaza Strip near al-Sudaniyya, while soldiers stationed at the border fired at farmers east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. No injuries were reported.

Israeli authorities maintained a fishing limit of three nautical miles on all fishermen in the Gaza Strip until August, when Hamas negotiated a six-mile limit as part of the ceasefire that concluded Israel’s two-month summer assault that left 2,200 dead, Maan News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

But Israeli authorities have frequently shot at Palestinian fishermen inside the limit, and three have been killed since then.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights reports frequent incidents of shooting by Israeli forces to maintain a buffer zone around the borders of the Gaza Strip.

In March, the group noted 16 incidents of shooting on land and four incursions by Israeli military forces. (T/P002/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)