Israeli Navy Opens Fire at Palestinian Fishermen in Gaza

Gaza, MINA – Israeli navy Sunday evening opened fire at Palestinian fishermen and their fishing boats as they were sailing in the areas of al-Waha and al-Sudaniya, north of the Gaza Strip, local sources said.

WAFA correspondent said that the Israeli navy fired sound and tear gas bombs, preventing them from fishing and eventually forcing them off shore in fear of getting shot.

Since October 2000, human right centers in Gaza have documented several Israeli violations, including killing and confiscation of boats, against fishermen who were allowed, in accordance with international guaranteed Palestinian- Israeli agreements, to fish in within 4 to 6 nautical miles off shore, WAFA reported.

Despite the signed agreements between Palestinians and Israel, which allow fishermen to go 12 nautical miles inside the Mediterranean Sea, Israeli navy targets Gaza fishermen almost daily and does not allow them to go further than three nautical miles, which the fishermen say is not enough to catch fish.

A large number of Gazans rely on fishing for daily living in light of the tight decade-old blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip. (T/R3/RE1)

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)