Israeli navy wounds three Palestinian fishermen off Gaza coast

The Israeli naval forces on Thursday wounded three Palestinian fishermen off the coast of the Gaza Strip while they were working at a distance of three miles from the northern shore of the besieged coastal enclave, local sources said.

Zakaria Baker, an official from the fishers' committees in the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in the Gaza Strip, told The New Arab that Israeli gunboats opened fire on a group of fishermen while they were sailing north of the sea of the Strip.

He said that the three injured, who are from one family, were taken to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City to receive the necessary treatment, and described their injuries as "moderate".

Baker condemned the repeated shootings and arrests of fishermen, accusing the Israeli navy of doing their best to pressure the local fishermen to refrain from going into the sea and doing their work.

"The Israeli navy deliberately obstructs the fishermen's work through continuous attacks on them and shooting at their boats," the head of the Syndicate of Palestinian Fishermen, Nizar Ayyash, said to The New Arab.

Despite the improved facilities that the Gaza Strip is witnessing, the official adds, the fishermen are still suffering from the continuous Israeli violations, which are increasing on a daily basis.

Israel imposes strict restrictions on the work of fishermen off the Mediterranean coast, claiming to combat smuggling attempts by sea as part of its blockade imposed on the Strip since mid-2007.

Fishing is one of the biggest industries in the coastal enclave, home to some 2.3 million Palestinians.

Israel maintains a land, air, and sea blockade of Gaza, effectively besieging the Palestinian territory. Boats are not allowed to stray beyond a fixed limit to the north towards Israel and Egypt keeps similar limitations to the south-west.

About 4,000 Palestinian fishermen live in the besieged Gaza Strip. At the same time, approximately 40,000 Gazans work in professions directly or indirectly related to fishing.

The number of Israeli violations against fishermen in the Strip reached 155 incidents since the beginning of this year, including shooting, arresting, and sabotaging fishing equipment, according to a report issued by Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza.