Israeli navy boats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip early Wednesday morning, forcing the fishermen to head back to shore “in fear for their lives,” witnesses told Ma’an.
No injuries were reported.
An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed the incident to Ma’an, claiming that a fishing boat “deviated from the designating fishing zone.” She said Israeli forces fired toward the vessel, which retreated back inside the fishing zone.
Palestinian fishermen in Gaza protest Israeli restrictions & attacks, urge int'l pressure to expand fishing area https://t.co/ngvs2WUSD1
— Ben White (@benabyad) April 26, 2017
Israeli military incursions inside the besieged Gaza Strip and near the “buffer zone,” which lies on both land and sea borders of Gaza, have long been a near-daily occurrence.
Palestinians who work near the “buffer zone” often come under fire from Israeli military forces, as the authorities have not made clear the precise area of the designated zone.
The practice has in effect destroyed much of the agricultural and fishing sector of the blockaded coastal enclave.
Israeli forces target Palestinian fishermen off Gazahttps://t.co/izPGCCgzkz#Fishermen via PIC @PalinfoEn pic.twitter.com/3OfN4vhrSY
— Palestine Info Center (@palinfoen) April 26, 2017
Gazan fishermen, whose numbers are estimated to be around 4,000, have suffered from the near decade-long siege of the Gaza Strip, which limits their incursions to just six nautical miles into the sea in accordance with the ceasefire agreement signed with Palestinian factions in 2014.
(Maan, PC, Social Media)
