Israeli navy shoots and injures Palestinian fisherman off Gaza

Israeli naval forces opened fired on a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of Gaza on Monday, seriously wounding one fisherman and detaining six others.

Israeli military boats stationed along the beseiged Palestinian enclave rountinely open fire on fishermen to enforce a restricted fishing zone of six nautical miles off Gaza's coast.

Four other crewmen were detained during the incident and the injured man was identified as 25-year-old Mohammed Majed Bakr, the head of the Palestinian fishermen's union Nizar Ayash said.

He was evacuated to an Israeli hospital for medical treatment and is said to be in a serious condition.

Overnight, Israeli naval forces boarded another Palestinian fishing vessel and detained two other fishermen, he added.

An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the shooting but did not speak of additional arrests.

The size of the fishing zone has varied over the years, having been set at 20 nautical miles by the Oslo accords of the 1990s, before being reduced by Israeli authorities.

Earlier in May, Israel temporarily expanded the fishing zone to nine nautical miles, but severe restrictions continue to hamper the industry.

Prior to Israel's blockade, there was a thriving fishing sector in Gaza, with fresh produce from the area sold across Israel and the West Bank.

But Israeli restrictions on Gaza have all but crippled the fishing industry, and 95 percent of fishermen now live below the poverty line, according to rights group B'Tselem.

In 2016, Israel's military detained 113 fishermen and the navy rountinely opens fire at fishermen to enforce the limited fishing zone.

Due to the blockade, it is near impossible to obtain the parts needed to maintain fishing vessels, and since 2000 the number of fishermen has reduced by over half.