Israel Occupation Forces fire tear gas at Gaza fishermen and farmers

Israeli navy forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen and their boats off the northern coast of the besieged Gaza Strip this morning.

According to a Wafa correspondent, the fishermen were sailing in the Al-Sudaniya and Al-Waha shores, until Israeli gunboats attacked them with machine guns, forcing them to abandon their fishing trip and return home.

No casualties were reported.

According to the Palestinian Fishermen’s Association in Gaza, there are some 4,000 fishermen working in Gaza’s fishing sector, who are looking after about 50,000 dependents.

The profession has been deemed dangerous by rights organisations due to Israel’s harassment of fishermen at sea.

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Simultaneously, a number of Israeli tanks and bulldozers, escorted by several military vehicles, invaded the southern Gaza Strip fence and opened fire at Palestinian farmers.

Palestinian farmers were chased out of the area by Israeli soldiers shooting tear gas and live gunfire in their direction, reported Wafa news agency.

Israel’s army regularly shoots at and levels agricultural land in the area around the fence, causing considerable damage to crops and preventing farmers from working their fields.

Additionally, occupation forces spray toxic materials to damage crops and force the farmers away from their lands.