Palestinian fishermen attacked by Israeli navy off Gaza coast, army arrests two on border

On Monday, the Israeli naval opened fire toward the fishermen's boats off the northern Gaza coast, forcing the fishers to return to the shores.

"There are no casualties among the fishermen, however, the Israeli navy constantly targets them to prevent them from fishing and making money to support their families," Zakaria Baker, an official from the fishers' committees in the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in the Gaza Strip told The New Arab.

"Israeli violations against fishermen have increased significantly. Dozens of fishermen have been shot during the past months, while several fishing boats have been disabled," he added.

Israeli Supreme Court rejects petition to reopen investigation on killing of 4 boys during 2014 Gaza warhttps://t.co/sOaTjWZGzL

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) April 26, 2022

Meanwhile, the Israeli army on Sunday arrested two Palestinians on the pretext that they crossed the border from the Gaza Strip, in an attempt to infiltrate the 1948-Israeli-occupied territories.

"During the last night, IDF soldiers arrested two suspects who tried to cross the fenced area in the southern Gaza Strip into Israeli territory," the Israeli army said on Twitter.

The statement claimed that the army seized a hand grenade and two knives from the suspects' possession, indicating that they were being investigated by the security forces.

The army statement did not mention whether the two young men managed to cross the fence from the southern part of the Palestinian territories when they were captured.

לוחמי צה"ל עצרו במהלך הלילה שני חשודים שניסו לחצות את מרחב המכשול בדרום רצועת עזה לשטח ישראל.
על החשודים נתפסו רימון ושני סכינים, והם הועברו להמשך חקירת כוחות הביטחון

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 3, 2022

The Israeli army has arrested dozens of Palestinians on the border with Gaza during the past months, alleging an attempt to infiltrate Israel.

The Israeli army prevents the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip from entering the area adjacent to the border for a distance of 300 metres, calling it the "buffer zone." It also shoots or arrests anyone found in it.