The Al-Mezan Center For Human Rights issued a statement denouncing the Israeli Navy’s abduction of six Palestinian fishermen, the confiscation of two boats in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and the escalating Israeli violations against the fishermen in the besieged coastal region.
|Update: Including Four Who Were Injured, Israeli Navy Releases Six Abducted Fishermen|
Al-Mezan Said that, on Sunday evening, November 27, 2022, the Israeli navy ships attacked Palestinian fishing boats in the Rafah Sea, abducted six fishermen, and confiscated two fishing boats.
According to information and interviews collected by Al-Mezan, the navy ships fired dozens of live rounds at the Palestinian fishing boats at approximately 11 at night and surrounded two boats carrying six fishermen, Ahmad Salah Miqdad, 34, Taiseer Yahia Bakr, 32, Mahmoud Yahia Bakr, 35, Jawad Yousef Atiya Abu Ghanem, 53, Mahmoud Yousef Atiya Abu Ghanem, 37, and Rami Ezzat Sa’id Bakr, 44.
Al-Mezan stated that the fishermen from the Gaza district were abducted, and their two boats were confiscated before they were taken to an unknown destination.
It added that the Navy constantly attacks the fishermen and their boats deliberately to cause harm and damage, especially since the Navy uses automatic live fire to attack the boats.
Al-Mezan denounced the escalating Israeli violations and called on the International Community to intervene and act to end the illegal Israeli siege on the coastal region.
Field searches and documentation by Al-Mezan revealed that the Israeli Navy carried out 441 violations against the Palestinian fishermen since the beginning of this year and abducted 64 fishermen, including eight children, in addition to shooting 21, including three children, and confiscating 23 fishing boats.
Israel also continues to bar importing equipment and tools essential for fishing and maintaining the fishing boats.
Al-Mezan strongly condemned the Israeli violations of International Law, International Humanitarian Law, and the basic principles of human rights treaties and affirmed that the Israeli violations are acts of collective punishment that amount to War Crimes.
It called on the International Community to act and perform its duties in adhering to International Law and providing protection to the Palestinian civilians and to act on prosecuting the violators of their treaties, and on ending the deadly siege on Gaza.
