Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen and farmers in the Gaza Strip Sunday morning, with no injuries reported.Witnesses reported that Israeli naval forces fired on fishing boats four miles off the coast, resulting in damage to the boats that forced the fisherman to return to land.
Meanwhile, Israeli border forces fired smoke bombs at farmers’ land east of Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to Ma’an News Agency.
Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on Palestinian fisherman and farmers since the ceasefire agreement signed Aug. 26, 2014 that ended a devastating 50-day war between Israel and Hamas.
In March alone, there were a total of 38 incidents of shootings, incursions into the Strip, and arrests, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR).
That was up from 26 incidents through February, and left seven Palestinians injured and one dead.
The attacks come despite Israeli promises at the end of the ceasefire to ease restrictions on Palestinian access to both the sea and the border region near the ‘security buffer zone.’
Israel promised to expand the Palestinian fishing zone to six nautical miles, falling far short of the 20 nautical miles initially agreed under the Oslo Accord.
According to PCHR, the ‘buffer zone’, which Palestinians are prohibited from entering, ‘is illegal under both Israeli and international law.’
The group said: ‘The precise area designated by Israel as a ‘buffer zone’ is not clear and this Israeli policy is typically enforced with live fire.’
See also: 94 Israeli Ceasefire Violations Since August
