Israeli shoot, injure Palestinian fishermen in besieged Gaza

Israeli forces have injured three Palestinian fishermen from the besieged Gaza Strip when they were attacked by navy boats whilst fishing.

Two fishermen, who left from the Khan Younis port, say the Israeli navy chased them whilst afloat, opening fire at them.

Their boat, which was damaged by the gunshots was then confiscated by Israel.

Further south in the Rafah port, an Israeli navy boat rammed into a Palestinian fisherman, leading to him being hospitalized from his injuries and his boat being damaged.

A significant amount of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip rely on fishing for daily sustenance as a tight blockade on the besieged enclave has significantly reduced Gazan access to food.

Gaza has been under siege for 12 years, creating a major human catastrophe in the enclave.

In 2007, Israel imposed a land, sea and air blockade on the strip, effectively turning the coastal enclave into an open-air prison, where basic necessities such as food, fuel and medicines are severely controlled.

Critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment of the coastal enclave's two million residents. The UN says Gaza will be uninhabitable by 2020, but human rights organisations say Gaza has reached inhabitability now.