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Israeli navy opens heavy fire at Gazan fishermen

April 11, 2019 at 5:10 pm

Palestinian fisherman in Gaza. [Apaimages]

Israeli naval forces opened heavy fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of the northern besieged Gaza Strip, on Thursday morning, according to Ma’an News.

A Ma’an reporter that Israeli naval boats opened fire and sprayed water at a number of Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of the northern Gaza Strip, forcing the fishermen to head back to shore in fear for their lives.No injuries were reported.

According to the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israel’s blockade of the coastal enclave has seriously undermined the ability for Gazan fishermen to make a living at sea.

READ: Palestinian doctors take bullet from heart of Gaza child

The Israeli army regularly detains and opens fire on unarmed Palestinian fishermen, shepherds, and farmers along the border areas if they approach the unilaterally declared buffer zone.

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem recently concluded that Israel’s Gaza closure and “harassment of fishermen” have been “destroying Gaza’s fishing sector,” with 95% of fishermen living below the poverty line.

Local rights organisation, Al-Haq, has documented many cases of Israeli aggression toward Palestinian fishermen off the Gazan coast, calling the Israel’s action against the fishermen “collective punishment” that imposes “difficult economic and social conditions.”