Nearly 30 Israeli violations were carried out by the Israeli naval forces against Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza sea within 3 months, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) reported.
The PCHR report has documented the Israeli human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory carried out between March 1st, 2013 and May 31st, 2013
The report documented 29 shooting incidents, which resulted in one injury, two incidents of chasing fishermen leading to two arrests, and the confiscation of one boat and fishing tools.
The report pointed out that the Israeli Navy has imposed restrictions on fishermen at sea, including narrowing the permitted fishing zone for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from six to three nautical miles during the period between March 21st, 2013 and May 20, 2013, in violation to the cease-fire signed between Hamas and Israeli authorities under Egyptian mediation in Nov. 2012.
On May 21st, 2013 Israel has re-allowed fishermen an increased access to the fishing zone from three to six nautical miles, PCHR stated.
85 percent of the Israeli attacks were reported in areas that fishermen have been allowed to access, the report said, adding that Israel has progressively imposed restrictions on Palestinian fishermen’s access to the sea.
Israel’s acts constitute a flagrant violation of the rules of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) since it systematically prevents the fishermen’s community from their most basic rights, particularly that they are mere civilians who do not pose the least threat to Israeli naval forces, Khalil Shahin, Director of PCHR’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Unit, said.
It is worth mentioning that there are more than 70,000 people in Gaza who are dependent on fishing as the main source of income.