Israeli naval boats Thursday opened a barrage of gunfire at Palestinian fishing boats sailing offshore Gaza City, according to WAFA correspondent.
He said the navy opened gunfire towards a set of Palestinian fishing boats while sailing offshore Gaza City, forcing them to get back ashore, despite sailing within the allowed 6-nautical-mile zone.
While one of the boats sustained damage, there were no reports of casualties among the fishermen.
The gunfire attack is one of a series of recurrent Israeli violations against Palestinian fishermen, who, according to the ceasefire agreement of 2014, were to be allowed access to six nautical miles from the shores of Gaza.
The fishing industry is considered a major constituent of the Palestinian economy in Gaza, and is a source of livelihood for hundreds of Palestinians.
The current six-nautical-mile fishing zone falls drastically short of the twenty nautical miles allocated to Palestinian fishermen in the 1993 Oslo Accords.
The international organization OXFAM reported on the fishing industry and fishermen saying, With most of the fish at least nine miles out at sea, [fishermen] have already been struggling to make a living and now 90 percent of them need international aid.
Palestine News & Information Agency – WAFA