A Palestinian fisherman was shot and injured by Israeli naval forces, while working off Gaza’s coast, on Wednesday.
The Palestinian Fishermen’s Union in Gaza told Ma’an News Agency that Mourad al-Hasi, 22, was shot and injured with a rubber-coated steel bullet fired by Israeli naval forces.
The union confirmed that the Israeli navy repeatedly opened heavy fire towards Palestinian fishermen within the permitted fishing zone of 12 nautical miles.
The fisherman’s medical condition remained unknown.
It is noteworthy that, last week, Israeli authorities decided to expand the permitted fishing zone off Gaza’s coast to 12 nautical miles, after the Israeli escalation during which the zone was drastically reduced.
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 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% of fishermen living below the poverty line.
(PNN archive image)
