Israeli Navy Attacks Gaza Fishermen with Gunfire

Israeli naval boats on Sunday attacked with gunfire Palestinian fishermen while they were sailing within six miles from the shore of Gaza, according to WAFA correspondent.

He said Israeli navy opened heavy machine gunfire on fishermen’s boats, despite sailing within the six-nautical-mile zone allowed for Palestinian fishing industry, causing damage to at least one boat.

No injuries were reported among the fishermen who apparently fled the scene for fear of being detained, inured, 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.

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 .

Source ; WAFA