Israeli Navy Continues its Attacks Against Gaza Fishermen

Gaza, 29 Sya’ban 1437/05 June 2016 (MINA) – Israeli naval boats Sunday attacked Palestinian fishermen’s boats with a barrage of heavy machine gunfire, causing financial damages to at least one boat, according to WAFA correspondent.

Israeli military boats fired heavy machine gunfire toward Palestinian boats sailing within the 6-nautical miles allowed fishing zone offshore al-Sudaniya area to the northwest of Gaza city, causing damages to at least one boat.

The fishermen were forced to return back to shore for fear of being detained, injured or killed.

Israeli navy targets Gaza fishermen almost on a daily basis, in a blatant breach of a ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and armed Palestinian groups in august 2014, following 51 days of bloody aggression on the Gaza Strip, which claimed the lives of over 2.200 Palestinians, mostly civilians.

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According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), all Israeli attacks on Palestinian fishermen have taken place within the distance of six nautical miles, which it said “proves that Israeli forces’ policies aim to tighten restrictions on the Gaza Strip’s fishermen and their livelihoods.”

While Israeli authorities last month expanded the fishing zone designated for Palestinian fishermen to nine nautical miles in the southern Gaza Strip, and retained the six mile zone in the north, fishermen regularly report detentions, live fire, and boat confiscation within these fishng zones.

Israel has imposed a tightened blockade since 2007 after Hamas won the democratic legislative elections and took over power in the strip.

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In its weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian Territories, PCHR said the illegal closure, which has been steadily tightened since June 2007 has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

For nine consecutive years, Israel has tightened the land and naval closure to isolate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, and other countries around the world,” said PCHR.

“This resulted in grave violations of the economic, social and cultural rights and a deterioration of living conditions for 1.8 million people,” it added. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)