Israeli occupation’s navy attacked on Saturday morning Palestinian fishermen sailing off the coasts of Gaza City, Khan Younis and Rafah in the north and south of the Gaza Strip, forcing the fishermen to return to the shore.
Local sources said that Israeli naval forces earlier today opened fire and water cannons on fishermen while sailing at about three nautical miles from the shore of Al-Sudaniya area in Gaza City, forcing fishermen to return to the shore. However, no injuries were reported.
The Israeli navy also opened fire at fishermen’s boats off the Khan Younis and Rafah coasts in the south of the Gaza Strip when they were about five nautical miles away.
‘Israel’ has maintained a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007. It imposes tight restrictions on the work of fishermen off the coast of the Gaza Sea, citing security reasons.
The Israeli navy also deliberately targets fishing boats on a daily basis. The Israelis open fire, use water cannons, and damage fishing nets and boats’ engines in their efforts to terrorize fishermen.
Gaza has approximately 3,000 fishermen, of whom only 800 work on some 700 boats. Some 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza make a living directly or indirectly from fishing, according to official Palestinian statistics.
