Israeli naval forces opened fire on a number of fishing boats and detained six Palestinian fishermen on Sunday in the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to local witnesses, the fishermen were working within the permitted zone.
Israel machineguns Palestinian fishermen, propels them into the sea with watercannon & floods the inboard motors https://t.co/sUBaHumLLT
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) September 1, 2018
Witnesses identified the detainees as Zaki Ibrahim al-Najjar, Ahmad Mahmoud Abu Ryala, Mahmoud Jihad Abu Awda, Muhammad Jihad Abu Awda, Jihad Muhammad Abu Awda, and Muhammad Bahjat Abu Awda.
The reason for their detention remained unknown.
Several hours after the detention, Israeli naval forces opened fire on a number of Palestinian fishing boats in northern Gaza.
6 Gaza fishermen arrested by Israeli navy at nightfall https://t.co/PjjLO7cOyd
— Joe Catron ? (@jncatron) September 2, 2018
Sources added that Israeli naval forces continued to fire and chased down the fishing boats, forcing them to sail back to shore.
No injuries were reported.
ISMPalestine "Israeli navy detains 6 fishermen in Gaza
Israeli naval forces opened fire on a number of fishing boats and detained six Palestinian fishermen on Sunday in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Source: (Maan) https://t.co/3jL1cihJBT pic.twitter.com/ZBmaiB3IT5"
— Richard Hardigan (@RichardHardigan) September 2, 2018
As part of Israel’s blockade of the coastal enclave since 2007, the Israeli army, citing security concerns, requires Palestinian fishermen to work within a limited “designated fishing zone,” the exact limits of which are decided by the Israeli authorities and have historically fluctuated.
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 navy detain a number of Palestinian fishermen and confiscate their boats of the Gaza coast. pic.twitter.com/r8Qx3eZbA3
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) September 1, 2018
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 percent of fishermen living below the poverty line.
(Ma’an, PC, Social Media)