Saturday, December 31, 2011

Factsheet: Israel Abuses of Child Fishers in Gaza: The Need for Protection

Al Mezan

31-12-2011




The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue to impose restrictions on Palestinian fishermen, limiting their fishing zone to three nautical miles.  This limitation prevents fishermen from their right to work and has diminished their source of income and thrown them into dire poverty.  The IOF also continues its systematic attacks on fishermen, frequently pursuing and arresting them and destroying their fishing equipment.

Gazan fishermen are considered the poorest social group in the Strip.  In 2010, poverty among fishermen was estimated at 90%, up from 50% in 2008[1].  Under Israel’s siege of Gaza unemployment has raised dramatically and the fishers’ community has been living under extreme poverty, pushing many Gazan children to work in the fishing sector.  The estimated number of children working in the fishing sector is about 190.[2] Most of those work with their families, who usually cannot afford to hire adult, professional fishermen due to their difficulties.  Subject to live fire and other attacks by the IOF, child fishers risk their lives on their small vessels and are constantly subjected to fear and panic, which affect their mental development.  According to Al Mezan’s documentation, since the beginning of 2010 the IOF has carried out about 113 attacks against fishermen.  As a result of these attacks, 11 people were injured; including two child fishers.

The IOF continues to arrest Palestinian fishermen, including children.  The IOF typically forces fishermen to take off their clothes, jump into the sea, even in the cold winter water, and swim towards Israeli vessels.  The IOF also handcuffs the fishermen with plastic straps, blindfolds them, and interrogates them in Israeli detention centers.  According to Al Mezan’s documentation, since the beginning of 2010 the IOF has arrested 66 fishermen, including seven children.


[1] International Committee of the Red Cross, “Gaza closure: not another year!”, news release no. 10/103, 14 June 2010, online.
[2] All child fishers are believed to be over 16 years old. Of them 113 are registered and approximately 70 are working without registration, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery in Gaza.

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

PCHR Condemns Israeli Attack on Oliva Boat at Gaza Seashore

 PCHR

Thursday, 29 December 2011 00:00
Ref: 146/2011
  
On Wednesday, 29 December 2011, the Israeli navy attacked the Oliva Boat, which monitors the situation at Gaza seashore, and Palestinian fishing boats who were fishing in the sea. 

According to Mr. Mahfouz al-Kabariti, Chairman of the Palestinian Association for Fishing and Marine Sports, at 11:00 on Wednesday, 28 December 2011, an Israeli gunboat got close to Palestinian fishing boats and the Oliva Boat, while they were approximately two nautical miles off the seashore, as the Israeli navy allow Palestinian fishing within a distance of 3 nautical miles from the seashore.  Al-Kabariti stated that the Oliva was monitoring Israeli attacks against Palestinian fishermen at the Gaza seashore.  An Israeli gunboat got close to it and attacked 6 times.  The Israeli naval troops ordered two Italian solidarity activists and the captain who were on board of the boat to sail back, claiming that the boat sailed beyond the 3-nautical mile distance, while the boat’s GPS measured the distance at two nautical miles only.  The captain was providing the boat with fuel when the Israeli navy attacked the boat.  The Israeli navy used water hoses against the boat, which almost made it capsize.  An Italian solidarity activist, Rosa Schiano, who was on board of Oliva, stated that she called in vain to the Israeli naval troops to stop attempting to turn the boat over.  As a result of the attack, Oliva’s captain, Mushtaq Zaidan, from Gaza City, fell and injured his leg.  Palestinian fishermen in the area were able to help him, and to pull the Oliva back to the shore. 

It is worth noting that Oliva started its work on 20 April 2011 under the umbrella of the Spanish Civil Peace Service. It carried out the first monitoring mission in the Gaza Strip on 8 June 2011.  The project is aimed at monitoring and documenting Israeli attacks against Palestinian fishermen while fishing, which constitute a violation of international law and amount to possible war crimes.  PCHR, the Palestinian Association for Fishing and Marine Sports, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and the Coordination Committee of Popular Resistance participate in the project, which is sponsored by dozens of local and international organizations. The monitoring team includes international solidarity activists from Italy, Sweden, USA and the UK.   

PCHR condemns the continuous attacks by the Israeli Navy against Palestinian fishing boats, and the attack against the Oliva, which monitors the human rights situation in Gaza’s seawaters. PCHR calls upon the international community:

1. To intervene to stop Israeli violations of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, including measures aimed at preventing the work of Palestinian fishermen;
2. To act to stop the Israeli Navy’s attacks against the Oliva boat, which carries out a peaceful civil mission and aims– with entirely legal tools – to ensure the Palestinian fishermen the possibility of working in safe conditions;
3. To force Israel to immediately lift the illegal closure imposed on the Gaza Strip, including the naval blockade restricting fishing to 3 nautical miles from the seashore, and to allow Palestinian fishermen to work freely.

Israeli navy attacks international observers, injures Palestinian, on monitoring boat in Gaza waters

CPSGaza

28 December 2011  

 For Immediate Release

At 10:55 am, an Israeli naval warship attacked the international observers and Palestinian captain of the Civil Peace Service Gaza (CPSGAZA) boat Oliva, injuring its captain in an apparent attempt to capsize it.


The two international observers, both Italian citizens, are available for media questions or interviews.


"The Israeli navy passed near us and the fishermen, and started to go around us, creating waves," said Rosa Schiano, one of the international observers. "The fishermen escaped, but we couldn't because of a problem with our engine. We couldn't move, and they went around us very quickly. The Israelis saw that we couldn't move, and that the captain was trying to fix the engine, but they didn't stop. We told them, 'Please stop! Please stop!' But they didn't."


When the warship was two meters away from the Oliva, one of the waves it had created nearly capsized the small boat, filling it with water and causing the Palestinian captain to fall out, injuring his left leg.


"Their intentions were to do something very bad," said international observer Daniela Riva. "Coming so close to us was very dangerous, and they obviously knew that."


After more than twenty minutes, the warship retreated, and the Oliva was rescued by a small Palestinian fishing boat, or hasaka, which threw it a line and towed it toward the shore.


Photos are available for free use with attribution to Rosa Schiano, Civil Peace Service Gaza (CPSGAZA):
http://bit.ly/CPSGAZAphotos. Additional photos and video will be available upon request: email press@cpsgaza.org.

The incident followed similar attacks on the Oliva during previous missions. Video footage is available:
http://bit.ly/CPSGAZAvideos





Background


Restrictions on the fishing zone are of considerable significance to Palestinian livelihood. Initially 20 nautical miles, it is presently often enforced between 1.5 - 2 nautical miles (PCHR: 2010). The marine 'buffer zone' restricts Gazan fishermen from accessing 85% of Gaza's fishing waters agreed to by Oslo.


During the Oslo Accords, specifically under the Gaza-Jericho Agreement of 1994, representatives of Palestine agreed to 20 nautical miles for fishing access. In 2002 the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan empowered Catherine Bertini to negotiate with Israel on key issues regarding the humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and a 12 nautical mile fishing limit was agreed upon. In June 2006, following the capture of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit near the crossing of Kerem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom), the navy imposed a complete sea blockade for several months. When the complete blockade was finally lifted, Palestinian fishermen found that a 6 nautical mile limit was being enforced. When Hamas gained political control of the Gaza Strip, the limit was reduced to 3 nautical miles. During the massive assault on the Strip in 2008-2009, a complete blockade was again declared. After Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli army began imposing a 1.5 - 2 nautical miles (PCHR: 2010).


The fishing community is often similarly targeted as the farmers in the 'buffer zone' and the fishing limit is enforced with comparable aggression, with boats shot at or rammed as near as 2nm to the Gazan coast by Israeli gunboats.


The fishermen have been devastated, directly affecting an estimated 65,000 people and reducing the catch by 90%. The coastal areas are now grossly over-fished and 2/3 of fishermen have left the industry since 2000 (PCHR: 2009). Recent statistics of the General Union of Fishing Workers indicate that the direct losses since the second Intifada in September 2000 were estimated at a million dollars and the indirect losses were estimated at 13.25 million dollars during the same period. The 2009 fishing catch amounted to a total of 1,525 metric tones, only 53 percent of the amount during 2008 (2,845 metric tones) and 41 percent of the amount in 1999 (3,650 metric tones), when the fishermen of Gaza could still fish up to ten nautical miles from the coast. Current figures indicate that during 2010 the decline in the fishing catch continues. This has caused an absurd arrangement to become standard practice. The fisherman sail out not to fish, but to buy fish off of Egyptian boats and then sell this fish in Gaza. According to the Fishermen's Union, a monthly average of 105 tons of fish has been entering Gaza through the tunnels since the beginning of 2010 (PCHR 2009).


Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR). "The Buffer Zone in the Gaza Strip." Oct. 2010.


Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. "A report on: Israeli Attacks on Palestinian Fishers in the Gaza Strip." August 2009.

Friday, December 23, 2011

CPSGaza Report - 22 December 2011

CPSGaza


22 December 2011  The Oliva left Gaza Seaport at 8:25am with on board his Palestinian captain and two international observers from CPS Gaza.

At 8:50 am, at about 2 nautical miles from the coast (31° 35.12N / 034° 26.22E), Oliva’s crew sighted an Israelis navy vessel which was close to 6 hasakas and heard shooting. The hasakas were observed while getting away from the Israeli navy vessel and moving towards Oliva. The fishermen informed Oliva’s crew that an Israeli navy vessel opened fire at their boats at 5.30 am.


At 9:05, from the same position, Oliva observed the Israeli navy reaching again the fishermen, continuing shooting in the water and telling them to go back home. Oliva reached the point where fishermen were harassed, located at about 2.1 nautical miles from the coast and within the limit of the northern ‘closed area’ (31° 35.17N / 034° 26.14E).


At 9:25 am Oliva reached the float delimitating the 3 nautical miles (31° 35.62N / 034° 25.03E).


At 9:40, when Oliva was at 2.9 nautical miles offshore (31° 35.21N / 034° 25.07E), the Israeli navy vessel moved at high rate of speed towards Oliva which hanged back. The same happened at 9:53 am and then at 10:12 am, when Oliva was at 2.85 nautical miles offshore (31° 34.97N / 034° 24.92E).


At 10:23 Oliva kept observing the Israeli navy vessel from a distance of about 200m and at 10:50 returned to the port of Gaza.


Background:


Israel has been regularly attacking Palestinian fishermen within the purported 3 nautical mile fishing limit. The livelihood of many Gazans relies on fishing and Israel has been using live ammunition and water cannons to prevent fishermen from doing their work.


The Israeli Siege continues after more than 4 years, limiting the sea area available for the Gaza population. This area was supposed to be 20 miles according to the Jericho agreements from 1994 (under the Oslo accords), then it was reduced to 12 miles, to 6 miles and now to 3 miles since December 2008.


The Civil Peace Services continue monitoring potential human rights violations at the sea in front of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli navy harasses Palestinian fishermen off Gaza coast

 Posted on ISM webpage on: December 21, 2011

by Rosa Schiano

21 December 2011 | Civil Peace Service Gaza



Photo: Rosa Schiano, Civil Peace Service Gaza - Click here for more images

The Oliva sailed from Gaza Seaport at 8:15 am. The Palestinian captain and two international observers from CPS staff were on board at 8:45 am Oliva reached four hasakas in the north of the Strip, about 2.2 nautical miles off shore (31° 35.40N / 034° 26.29E).
At 9:20 am the crew sighted an Israelis navy vessel moving toward the four hasakas and Oliva at a high rate of speed. The four hasakas and Oliva started to move toward the coast. The Israeli navy vessel continued to run after the hasakas and Oliva reaching 1.5 nautical miles off shore (31° 34.68N / 034° 26.49E) and then hanging back.
At 10:20 am the same Israeli navy vessels approached the four hasakas which were within the area marked by the float located about 2 miles off shore on the northern limit imposed on Palestinian fishing area (31° 35.41N / 034° 26.57E), continuing harassing them and shooting several times in the water.
At 11:00 am the Israeli navy vessels hanged back and Oliva returned to the port of Gaza.

Background:

Restrictions on the fishing zone are of comparable significance to Palestinian livelihood. This area was supposed to be 20 miles according to the Jericho agreements from 1994 (under the Oslo accords), then it was reduced to 12 miles, to 6 miles and now to 3 miles since January 2009. The marine ‘buffer zone’ restricts Gazan fishermen from accessing 85% of Gaza’s fishing waters agreed to by Oslo.
Israel has been regularly attacking Palestinian fishermen within the purported 3 nautical mile fishing limit. The livelihood of many Gazans relies on fishing and Israel has been using live ammunition and water cannons to prevent fishermen from doing their work.
The Israeli Siege continues after more than 4 years, limiting the sea area available for the Gaza population.
The Civil Peace Services continue monitoring potential human rights violations at the sea in front of the Gaza Strip.

Updated on December 22, 2011

PCHR weekly report 15/12 - 21/12/2011: 1 fisherman injured, 4 fishermen abducted including 1 child, 1 boat stolen

extracts from PCHR weekly report 15/12 - 21/12/2011:

IOF continued to attack Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip.
A Palestinian fisherman was wounded by Israeli gunfire.
IOF arrested 4 Palestinian fishermen and confiscated a fishing boat. 

Friday, 16 December 2011


At approximately 10:45, Israeli gunboats opened fire at a Palestinian fishing boat that was sailing opposite to al-Sudaniya beach in the northern Gaza Strip.  As a result, a fisherman, Zaki Mustafa Froush, 45, from the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya, was wounded by a bullet to the left hand and shrapnel to the left leg.  Frosuh was together with his son fishing nearly two nautical miles from the seashore. 

Saturday, 17 December 2011





At approximately 21:30, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats opposite to Beit Lahia seashore in the northern Gaza Strip.  Palestinian fishermen were forced to sail back to the beach and no casualties were reported.

Sunday, 18 December 2011



At approximately 08:00, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats opposite to al-Shati refugee camp seashore in the west of Gaza City.  As a result, a boat belonging to Mahmoud Mustafa Murad was damaged.  Israeli gunboats chased two boats and arrested 4 Palestinian fishermen:  Hassan ‘Ali Murad, 25; Mahmoud Mustafa Murad, 27; Emad Mahmoud Siam, 46; and Anas ‘Emad Siam, 16.  IOF released three of the fishermen at approximately 23:00, while transferred the fourth one, Mahmoud Murad, to an Israeli hospital as he suffers from renal failure. 

Monday, 19 December 2011 


At approximately 09:00, Israeli gunboats stationed opposite to Beit Lahia seashore in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats.  Palestinian fishermen were forced to sail back to the beach and no casualties were reported.

Tuesday, 20 December 2011




At approximately 08:00, Israeli gunboats stationed opposite to Beit Lahia seashore in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats.  Palestinian fishermen were forced to sail back to the beach and no casualties were reported.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

IOF Opens Fire and Pursues Palestinian Fishermen off North Gaza Coast

20-12-2011

At approximately 9:00 am on Tuesday 20 December 2011, Israeli gunboats opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats which were in the waters off the coast north of Al Waha resort, in the As-Sudaniya area, in the west of Beit Lahiya, North Gaza district.  No casualties or injuries were reported.  The firing lasted for about 30 minutes, during which the Israeli boats pursued the fishermen, forcing them to leave the area.  This pattern of intimidation was repeated several times, with the Israeli boats opening fire on the fishermen each time they reached an area about 2000 meters away from the northern separation fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Israeli Gunboats Open Fire on Palestinian Fishing Boats in North Gaza District

19-12-2011

At approximately 8:00 am on Monday 19 December 2011, Israeli gunboats opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats which were in the waters off the coast north of Al Waha resort, in the As-Sudaniya area, in the west of Beit Lahiya, North Gaza district.  No casualties or injuries were reported.

PCHR Condemns Placing Large Floats 3 Miles from Gaza Seashore to Tighten the Siege Imposed on the Gaza Strip

PCHR

Thursday, 15 December 2011 12:50

Ref: 142/2011








The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the placing of large floats by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) 3 miles from the Gaza Strip seashore, beyond which Palestinian fishermen are banned from sailing.  This measure serves to institutionalize the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, and enhances IOF’s control over the Gaza Strip’s regional water.  PCHR warns that this measure will lead to more attacks by IOF against Palestinian fishermen, depriving them of their means of subsistence, under the pretest of sailing beyond the sea floats. 


 


PCHR has obtained affidavits from a number of Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip, in which they expressed concerns that such Israeli measures would tighten the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip and restrict their work by limiting the permissible fishing area to only 3 nautical miles. 





According to Mr. Mohammed Subhi al-Hissi, Head of the Union of Fishermen in Gaza City, the Israeli naval forces started to place large floats to serve as border signs, above which are lights and devices believed to be photographing and monitoring devices, at a distance of 3 nautical miles from the Gaza Strip seashore.  The Israeli naval forces warned Palestinian fishermen through leaflets not to sail beyond such border signs, otherwise, they would be subject to shooting, detention and confiscation of fishing tools.  Al-Hissi warned of the repercussions of this measure on the fishing industry in the Gaza Strip, which is the sole source of income for hundreds of fishermen and their families. 





It should be noted that IOF have imposed a long term closure on the Gaza Strip since 1991, under which they have deprived Palestinian fishermen their right to fish Gaza’s waters.  They also decreased the permissible fishing area in the Gaza Strip’s seawater from 20 nautical miles, as agreed under the Palestinian-Israeli Oslo Accords,[1] to 6 nautical miles in 2008, and to 3 nautical miles in 2009.  During the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip in the period 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009, IOF imposed a total closure on the Gaza Strip, completely preventing Palestinian fishermen from fishing.  Following the offensive, IOF imposed a partial closure on the Gaza Strip preventing Palestinian fishermen from fishing beyond a distance of 3 nautical miles. 





In light of the above:





1. PCHR condemns placing such large floats 3 miles from the Gaza Strip’s seashore, banning Palestinian fishermen from fishing beyond them.


2. PCHR calls upon the international community to exert pressure on IOF to open the fishing area up to 20 nautical miles.


3. PCHR condemns attacks by IOF against Palestinian fishermen, and believed that such attacks are part of the collective punishment measures against the Palestinian civilian population, including denying them of their means of subsistence, which is prohibited under the international humanitarian law and human rights law.          










[1] Under the Oslo Accords, the Gaza Strip’s seashore, which is 42 kilometers long, was divided into area known as K, M and L.  Area K extends up to 20 nautical miles in North Gaza and expands by 1.5 nautical mile in the south; Area M extends up to 20 miles in the south of Gaza City and expands by one nautical mile near the border with Egypt; and Area L extends up to 20 nautical miles from the beach

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Israel detains 2 fishermen off Gaza coast


GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces detained two Palestinians fishing off the Gaza coast on Sunday, before confiscating their equipment, officials and the Israeli army said.

President of the Fishing and Marine Sports Authority in Gaza Mahfouz al-Kabareteh said naval officers seized the fishermen and their oars while they were working within the three-mile limit imposed by Israel.

An Israeli army spokesman said that two fishing boats had deviated from the designated fishing area. After failing to respond to warnings to return, soldiers fired shots at both engines.

Both fishermen were taken into custody and their equipment seized.

Israel has cracked down on fishermen in the Gaza Strip in 2011, according to a report released by Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights.

Israel detained 40 fishermen, injured five others and seized nine boats between January and December, the human rights group said on Oct. 31.

Gaza's fishing industry has collapsed since Israel tightened its land and maritime blockade on the coastal strip in 2007.


Israeli navy detains Palestinian fishermen off Gaza coast


[ 18/12/2011 - 03:43 PM ]


GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli navy gunboats intercepted a Palestinian fishing boat off the northwestern coast of Gaza city on Sunday and arrested two fishermen.
Sources in the fishermen syndicates told the PIC reporter that the Israeli navy elements took the Palestinian boat and two fishermen on board while fishing in regional waters.
Israeli navy patrols have recently intensified their chase of Palestinian fishermen despite working within the three nautical miles limit determined by this navy.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Israeli Gunboats Open Fire on Palestinian Fishing Boats off North Gaza Coast

17-12-2011

At approximately 9:15 pm on Saturday 17 December 2011, Israeli gunboats fired several shells at Palestinian fishing boats which were in the waters off the coastline of the As-Sudaniya area, in the west of Beit Lahiya, North Gaza district.  No casualties or injuries were reported.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Israeli navy fire injures Gaza fisherman

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli naval ships opened fire on a Palestinian fishing boat off the Gaza coast on Friday, injuring a 45-year-old fisherman, medics said.

Gaza medical official Adham Abu Salmiya said the man was taken to Shifa hospital in Gaza City with moderate injuries to his legs.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said the fishing boat "deviated from the designated fishing area and the navy called on it to stop, but when it did not respond they fired warning shots at the boat engine."

In early December, the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights said Israel has detained 40 fishermen, injured five others and seized nine boats since the start of the year.

Under Israel's maritime blockade, Palestinian fishers are forbidden from fishing more than three nautical miles from the coast.

During the Oslo accords negotiators had agreed on 20 nautical miles of fishing access along Gaza's coastline.

Noting that most Gaza residents were dependent on food aid, the International Red Cross said in July that Gaza's fishing industry had almost disappeared due to Israeli restrictions.

In a separate incident Friday, Israeli artillery fire struck near the eastern cemetery in the Shjaiya neighborhood, onlookers said.

There were no reports of injury or damage in that incident.

------
16-12-2011

Al Mezan



Israeli Gunboats Open Fire at Palestinian Fishermen in Gaza; One Fisherman Injured


At approximately 11:00 am on Friday 16 December 2011, Israeli naval vessels patrolling the Gaza sea opened fire on a Palestinian fishing boat about 1.5 miles off the coast west of Gaza City, opposite the Ash-Shati’ refugee camp.  The Israeli forces targeted Zaki Tarroush, 45, from Beit Lahiya, who sustained two bullet wounds in the right hand and leg.  He was admitted to Shifa Hospital.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

IOF Opens Fire at Palestinian Fishermen in North Gaza District

14-12-2011

At approximately 6:15 am on Wednesday 14 December 2011, Israeli naval vessels patrolling the Gaza sea opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast north of Al Waha resort, in the As-Sudaniya area, west Beit Lahiya, North Gaza district.  No casualties or injuries were reported.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

IOF Opens Fire at Palestinian Fishermen in North Gaza District

13-12-2011

At approximately 6:30 am on Tuesday 13 December 2011, Israeli naval vessels patrolling the Gaza sea opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast north of Al Waha resort, in the As-Sudaniya area, west Beit Lahiya, North Gaza district.  No casualties or injuries were reported.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

PCHR weekly report 1/12 - 7/12/2011: attacks opposite Beit Lahia and Rafah

extracts from PCHR weekly report  1/12 - 7/12/2011:

The Israeli Navy has continued to attack Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip. 

Friday, 02 December 2011


At approximately 06:30, Israeli gunboats stationed opposite to Beit Lahia beach in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats.  Palestinian fishermen were forced to sail back to the beach and no casualties were reported. 

 Saturday, 03 December 2011 


At approximately 18:30, Israeli gunboats stationed opposite to Beit Lahia beach in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats.  Palestinian fishermen were forced to sail back to the beach and no casualties were reported.

Also at approximately 18:30, Israeli gunboats stationed opposite to Rafah beach in the southern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats.  Palestinian fishermen were forced to sail back to the beach and no casualties were reported.

Monday, December 5, 2011

IOF Demarcate Gaza Marine Borders with Illuminated Buoys

5-12-2011

At approximately 16:00 on Monday, 5 December 2011, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) put illuminated buoys in the Gaza Sea.
According to the Fisherman's Syndicate, the IOF put the buoys along the Gaza Sea every four kilometers, about three nautical miles away from the Gaza’s coast. The signs form a line demarcating a no-go zone for Palestinian fishermen.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Israeli navy harasses Palestinian fishermen, international observers off Gaza coast

Posted on ISM webpage : December 4, 2011

3 December 2011 | Civil Peace Service Gaza
On Saturday, 3 December 2011, the Israeli navy harassed Palestinian fishermen and international observers three miles off the coast of Gaza.

Israeli military harassing on the high seas - Click here for more images
Between 10:00 and 11:00 am, two warships repeatedly charged a group of seven hasakas, one trawler, and the Civil Peace Service Gaza boat Oliva.

A day with fugitives in Gaza’s fishing waters

Posted on December 2, 2011 on Second Glance


Abu Mahmoud sharing his experiences of 40 years as a fisherman
It’s 6.30am when Ahmad’s fishing boat leaves the Gaza City fishing port. Together with his three nephews and a friend, he will stay at sea for 48 hours, trying to catch as many fish as possible within the Israeli-imposed 3 nautical-mile limit.[1] Ahmad (Abu Mahmoud) Sha’ban al-Hissi turned 60 a week ago and has been working as a fisherman since he was 18 years old. As we look back and see how Gaza City becomes smaller and smaller, Ahmad speaks about the hardship he has faced in his four decades as a fisherman: “The sea is like a prison. We can’t move here freely. Our entire lives have become like prisons.”
Keeping an eye out for Israeli naval occupation forces around
“Later, you will see the soldiers shoot at the fishermen”, adds Subeh, the captain of the boat. Subeh estimates that at 10 o’clock we would witness soldiers shooting at fishing boats from their navy vessels. Subeh is constantly checking the radio and horizon for signs of approaching navy vessels. As we come nearer to the area where the navy vessels patrol, packs of cigarettes and chewing gum are being consumed at a higher speed. The men chew and smoke through all of the stress and anxiety they  feel. “The fear is always with us when we are at sea,” says Subeh. “Our              lives are in danger at sea.”.
Even within the three-mile limit, fishermen are regularly harassed, assaulted, arrested, and sometimes even killed. Since the beginning of this year, 32 fishermen were arrested and 5 were injured, while at least 20 boats were confiscated. Late last December, Ahmad, Subeh, Fayez, Yassin and 2 others were arrested from the sea by the Israeli navy at night. They men were treated roughly and taken to a detention facility in Israel. The following morning they were transported to the Gaza Strip. However, their boat remained confiscated for nearly 100 days, making their financial situation even worse than it already was.
Repairing fishing nets with navy chasing the boat
While the men describe their memories of the arrest, we are around 2 nautical miles off the shore. An Israeli gunboat starts to follow us from behind as we are heading south. After a while, the vessel goes away again. Soon after another navy vessel takes over; it seems we have entered another military zone. All the men keep their eyes locked on the navigation equipment and the horizon, checking where the Israeli navy vessels are and in which direction they’re moving. Subeh focuses at least as much attention on Israeli naval boats in the area as he does on the sonar which can detect fish and objects under water.
On the look out for Israeli navy boats
When we are nearly 3 nautical miles off the coast, an Israeli gunboat in the vicinity starts firing warning shots in the air and sounds a sirene. We see how it also chases small fishing boats, with its waves almost capsizing one of the tiny vessels. Alarming and panicked messages come in through the radio from those fishermen. As we watch the different army vessels chase, harass, and threaten fishermen in the entire area, Ahmad and Subeh explain the different types of weaponry and soldiers each boat has on board. Apparently the one chasing us is a gunboat with snipers on board, the type of boat from which they say snipers have shot fishermen before. This job these fishermen are doing can hardly be called fishing. Gaza’s fishermen have become like fugitives in their own territorial waters.
Israeli gunboat intimidating the fishermen
I genuinely wonder what, if at all, the soldiers on top of the army vessels are thinking. What do they see when they look at the fishermen? Do they see threats or military targets? In any case, the soldiers look like ridiculous clowns in their military gear on their big steel vessels, chasing the fishermen on tiny boats.
Beyond human insecurity and fear, there is the crippling financial impact of the naval blockade.[2] Ahmad recalls that before this limitation in 2007, he “could earn 100 to 200 NIS[3] per day as a fisherman. Now we can each only earn around 50 NIS in two days at sea.” According to the Fisherman’s Syndicate, around 60% of the small fishing boats and 22% of trawler boats in the Gaza Strip are not used because of the high risks involved and the limited catch.
Sorting the poor catch
After two hours at sea the first catch gets hauled onto the boat; different types of fish, crabs, and and a lost octopus wriggle and squirm atop the deck. Ahmed, Yassin, and Fayez stare at the catch in disappointment. Knowing the answer I still ask them if this is a good catch. They all shake their head. “This is useless,” says Fayez. Him and the others kneel down to start sorting the catch. The Gaza waters are clearly overfished within the three nautical miles but no fisherman in the Gaza Strip has the option go beyond.
Preparing a fresh meal on top of the motor
While the soldiers on the nearby army vessels are still busy doing what they believe is a military job, Yassin cheerily starts to grill some fish on top of the hot engine. After flipping the fish over a few times he generously puts several roasting hot fish on a piece of bread and squeezes out  a lemon over it. “Sahteen!” he says with a big smile as he hands me the most special meal I have eaten in a while. A moment of true happiness within a situation of absurdity and infuriating madness.

Even though my country, the Netherlands, has a rich heritage and culture of fishing, I have never paid real attention to it, let alone joined fishermen on their boat at 6.30 in the morning. Looking at the fishermen as they repaired the nets, rinsed the catch, sorted the fish, baked calamari on the engine, and joked over a cup of coffee, I felt  mesmerized the entire day by the beauty of their profession.
Passing a beautiful fishing boat
Once again my perception of the Gaza Strip comes together in one word. Extremes:
Fishermen quietly catching some fish within a dangerous militarized sea;
Small fishing boats being chased and rocked by large navy vessels;
And the beautiful sight of dolphins jumping from the water while soldiers shoot bullets through the air.
I try to imagine this happening to Dutch fishermen off the western shore of the Netherlands, but I can’t. Nothing about this situation seems logically acceptable for my brain to take in. The passive and active violence practiced by the Israeli occupation has no rational explanation. Ahmad tells how the Israeli policies towards the Gaza Strip became harsher, also at sea, when soldier Gilad Shalit was captured and says that “now they have Shalit back, so they must open the sea.” It seems that he has internalized his fate of being the target of collective punishment as logic: one Israeli soldier is captured, 1.7 million civilians in the Gaza Strip will be punished. Only it never seems to work the other way around; 1 soldier released, 1,7 million people getting their rights and dignity.

[1] For the past two decades Israel has gradually shrunk Gaza’s fishing waters through increasing access restrictions, imposed as a result of the Oslo agreement and in more recent years through the illegally and unilaterally imposed 3-nautical mile limit.
[2] Gaza’s economy is already crippled by the severe import restrictions and ban on exports. The fishing sector –with 8,200 fishermen and workers providing for 50,000 dependents- is one of the few from which Palestinians in the Gaza Strip would be able to make a living, if it wasn’t for the 3 nautical miles limit.  By 2010 the fishing catch had decreased by 37% compared to 2008 and this amounted to only half of the 1999 fishing catch.
[3] 100 NIS is the equivalent of approximately $26.

PCHR Condemns Escalation in Arrest of Palestinian Fishermen in the Gaza Strip

PCHR

Thursday, 01 December 2011 11:45
Ref: 121/2011

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the Israeli Navy's escalation in arrests of Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip.

Over the past week, Israeli Naval forces arrested 14 fishermen off the coast of the Gaza Strip. These arrests represent a continuation of the sharp increase in the arrest of Palestinian fishermen by Israel during the month of November. Since 1 January at least 32 fishermen were arrested off the coast of the Gaza Strip, 17 of whom were arrested in November.

According to PCHR investigations, at approximately 8:00 on Monday, 28 November 2011, the Israeli navy arrested two fishermen and confiscated their boat and fishing equipment. The fishermen, Mahmoud Yasser Al-Nahal (20) and Mohammed Khamis Kaloub (18), both from Gaza City, were located within the Israeli imposed 3 nautical mile limit off the coast of the northern Gaza Strip when they were approached by the navy and ordered to jump of their boat and swim towards the army vessel. Both men were taken to Ashdod Port where they were detained. Al-Nahal was released the same evening at around 23:30 while Kaloub remains in detention. The boat and equipment have not been returned.

The most recent arrests took place on Tuesday, 29 November 2011, approximately 3 nautical miles off the coast of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. According to PCHR investigations, at approximately 10:30 that morning 3 Israeli gunboats and 2 smaller vessels approached a group of 6 trawlers. The navy ordered three of the trawlers to leave the area. Soldiers then started shooting rubber bullets randomly towards the three remaining trawlers, injuring the left hand of Nihad Rajab Hissi (30), a captain on one of the boats. All fishermen aboard two of the trawlers were arrested while their boats and equipment was confiscated. All but one of the fishermen aboard the third trawler were also arrested too, leaving one man on board to return to Gaza. The Israeli navy arrested 12 fishermen in total, all from Gaza City: Osama Mohammed Hissi, 30; Mohammed Rajab Hissi, 21; Mohammed Jehad Hissi, 19; Nihad Rajab Hissi, 30; Jamal Jehad Hissi, 22); Adham Khaled Al-Habeel, 25; Ahmad Majed Al-Habeel, 25; Rami Bahjat Abu Odeh, 30; Raed Yussef Abu Odeh, 28; Saleem Amin Abu Sadeq, 48; ‘Azmi Saleem Abu Sadeq, 20; and Khaled Khadr Abu Shar, 19. The fishermen were taken to Ashdod Port, handcuffed and blindfolded. In detention they were interrogated separately before they were released at Erez checkpoint at around 2:00 the following morning. Their boats and equipment remain confiscated.

For the past two decades the fishing waters of the Gaza Strip have gradually shrunk by access restrictions imposed as a result of the Oslo agreement and in more recent years by illegal unilateral restrictions imposed by Israel. Even within the currently imposed 3 nautical mile limit, the Israeli navy regularly attacks, arrests, and sometimes even kills fishermen. These policies illegally target fishermen and their livelihoods directly with severe consequences for civilian safety and financial subsistence.

Click here to read about the personal experience of 17-year old Mohammed Bakr, who was arrested together with his uncle and cousin, while they were fishing off the Gaza coast, on 10 November 2011.

In light of the above, PCHR:

1. Condemns the continuation of attacks against and arrests of Palestinian fishermen, and considers them to be part of the larger closure policy imposed on the Gaza Strip as a form of collective punishment of the civilian population.
2. Emphasizes the gravity of targeting and threatening civilians in the pursuit of their livelihood, severely affecting the means of survival of those directly affected, in violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law;
3. Calls upon the Israeli Navy to immediately release the detained fishermen, return their confiscated boats, and to immediately and indefinitely cease all forms of attack and harassment against fishermen and to allow them to fish freely in Gaza’s waters;
4. Calls upon the international community, including the European Union and United Nations agencies, to assume their responsibility by taking immediate steps to end Israel’s violations of international law, and to ensure accountability and redress. As an urgent priority, the ongoing closure of the Gaza Strip, which includes the naval blockade, must be lifted.

Narratives Under Siege: A frightening movie

PCHR

Thursday, 01 December 2011 00:00

 

“The bullets made the water splash up in my face. The soldiers shouted at us to take off our shirts and trousers. We had to jump into the water and swim towards them one by one” says 17-year old Mohammed Bakr, as he recounts how Israeli naval forces detained him from his family’s fishing boat, together with his cousin and uncle.

Mohammed Wisam Lutfi Bakr is the oldest of 9 children. He is from a fisherman’s family living in Gaza City’s Remal neighbourhood. He has been helping out on his father’s fishing boat since he was 7 years old. As he explains what happened to him, his cousin, and their uncle on the early morning of 10 November he relives the fear he felt during the initial attack, arrest and subsequent detention.

Like every morning when the weather allows, Mohammed, his cousin Abdul Kader Wael Bakr (17), and their uncle Arafat Lutfi Bakr (28) went out fishing off the shore of Gaza City, leaving at approximately 03.00. At around 03.30, when they were approximately 2 nautical miles off Gaza City’s shore, they were suddenly approached by a large Israeli gunboat. Without warning soldiers started firing shots in the water around them, very close to the boat. “The bullets made the water splash up in my face. The soldiers shouted at us to take off our shirts and trousers. We had to jump into the water and swim towards them one by one” Mohammed recalls. His uncle Arafat went first. Mohammed watched how his uncle was pulled on board of the gunboat by the soldiers. Then his cousin Abdul Kader followed. “I went last” says Mohammed, “they handcuffed us with plastic straps and blindfolded Arafat. There were at least 5 soldiers. They kicked and beat me on my arms and legs. They did the same to my cousin. I’m almost sure they gave our uncle even worse treatment, but I could not see him because they took him out of our sight”. All three of them were taken to a detention facility in Ashdod and held there blindfolded. “It was very dirty. At some point I said I needed to go to the toilet. Then they put me in an open area where everyone could see me. There was not even a toilet.”
Around 12.00h Mohammed and Abdul Kader were transferred to Erez checkpoint, between Israel and the Gaza Strip. There the two cousins were held and questioned until 22.30h. Then the soldiers at the Erez called Mohammed’s father and grandfather to tell them that they released the two cousins. The two men had been waiting for news about the boys since noon, when a fisherman told them they had been taken by soldiers. The father and grandfather had heard shots being fired while they were in the mosque for morning prayers. Later they realized they had heard the attack on Mohammed, Abdul Kader and Arafat.

Mohammed cannot stop thinking about his uncle, who is still being held in Israeli detention; “Arafat and I would go everywhere together and do all the fishing together. I am very worried about him. The soldiers even said; ‘you always go fishing with Arafat’. I am very afraid for how they are treating him.” Arafat is a member of the Palestinian Naval Police.

On the day of the arrest, the family’s fishing boat, including the motor and net, were confiscated. The boat was passed from Mohammed’s grandfather to his father and has been the livelihood of the extended family for as long as Mohammed can remember: “we have no money for a new boat, motor, and net. Altogether it would cost us around 46,000 NIS.” With the confiscation Mohammed and many of his relatives lost their only source of income.

Mohammed is in his last year of high school and is preparing for the final tawjihi exams; “all my classmates take extra classes for the tawjihi but it costs a lot of money, which my family doesn’t have.” Mohammed would like to take the extra classes too but with the loss of the family income, that has become an impossible challenge.

The Israeli army violence against the fishermen has a major impact on Mohammed and his family: “last year my twenty year old cousin, Mohammed Mansour Bakr, was attacked by the Israeli army while fishing. The soldiers shot him and he died. The army is merciless. We stopped fishing for a little while but eventually we had no choice but to get back to our work. We are attacked a lot by the soldiers. They harass us. During this year’s Ramadan they chased and harassed us seven times. It feels like they want to disturb us more during our holy month. At sea the thoughts of risks are constantly in my head. Everyone can feel the same fear at sea. It feels like watching a frightening movie”. However, there is no other option for Mohammed and his family but to continue fishing; “There is no other work for us. Where can we possibly get other work from in Gaza? Even though our work is very dangerous, there is no other choice but to go back to the see because we need the money. If and when we get another boat, I will go again.”

For the past two decades the fishing waters of the Gaza Strip have gradually shrunk by access restrictions imposed as a result of the Oslo agreement and more recently by illegal unilateral restrictions imposed by Israel. Even within the currently enforced 3 nautical mile limit, the Israeli navy regularly attacks, arrests, and sometimes even kills fishermen. This year at least 32 fishermen were arrested, 17 in the month of November. Another 5 fishermen were injured and at least 20 boats were confiscated. In conjunction with the restriction on fishing waters, the income of Gaza’s fishing community (8,200 fishermen and workers in the fishing sector) has steadily decreased. By 2010 the fishing catch had decreased by 37% compared to 2008 and this amounted to only half of the 1999 fishing catch. The sardine catch, which makes up 70% of Gaza’s total fishing catch, now only reaches 20% of the sardine catch that existed before the restrictions, representing a loss of $10 million. Finally, according to the Fisherman’s Syndicate, around 60% of the small fishing boats and 22% of trawler boats in the Gaza Strip are not used because of the high risks involved and the limited catch.

Israeli Navy Shoots Palestinian Fisherman Who Sued Israel, Kidnaps at Least Nine Others in Gazan Waters

Nahad Rajab Mohamed Al-Hesy in His Home

The Israeli navy violently seized two Palestinian trawlers in Gazan waters yesterday, shooting one fisherman in the arm, and ultimately forcing at least ten men to Ashod, Israel, where they were interrogated for several hours. Israel released all of the fishermen at 2 a.m. this morning.
Twenty-eight year old Nehad Mohamed Rajab Al-Hesy reported that his boat, along with six others, were fishing in the same area  at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday morning when he suddenly saw five Israeli naval ships—three large and two small—approach his boat, along with that of Omar al Habil.  According to Al-Hesy, both men had sued Israel for destroying their boats in the past.
“The Israelis told four boats to go back to Gaza. All six boats tried to pull up their nets, but they prevented us. The Israelis started to shoot at us a lot and I got shot in the arm.  The bullet entered and went out of my arm,” he added holding out his left arm wrapped in white gauze and bandages.
The Israeli navy then asked who was in charge of the boat and Al-Hesy answered that the boat was his.  Next, the Israeli navy commanded him to take off his clothes, jump into the sea and swim until he reached the Israeli naval boats, then asked the three others—Mohamed Rajab Mohamed Al-Hesy, 18, Jarrimal Jehad Rajab Al-Hesy, 22 and Mohamed Jehad Rajab Al-Hesy, 19—to do the same.
A photo of the Nehad Al-Hesy's Boat Destroyed by the Israeli Navy in 2007 and the Subject of his Lawsuit Against Israel

“It was a terrible thing. It was a scary thing,” said 22-year-old Jarrmal. “Now we are all sick from the cold water they forced us to swim in.”
Once on the ship, Al-Hesy was blindfolded and Israeli forces tied his arms behind his back and forced him to sit in a painful position for several hours. “My back, shoulders and my arm that was shot were hurting a lot,” he said, “but I was thinking about my boat which my family depends on for income.”
In Ashod, Israeli forces began questioning Al-Hesy at 5 p.m.
“Why did you break the 3 mile limit?” an Israeli soldier asked him.
“During Oslo, we were allowed to reach 20 miles so why do you prevent us from going past 3 miles? These 3 miles not enough,” Al-Hesy responded.
“I’m not the Israeli army,” the soldier responded, according to Al-Hesy.  “But there is something wrong with you. Why don’t you fishermen gather and ask the United Nations and go to the human rights centers so you can go more than 3 miles?”
The soldier subsequently changed the subject of the interrogation, asking Al-Hesy the names of the policemen working at the port.  When the interrogation finished, Al-Hesy was told that he would be sent back to Gaza, but he refused to go without his boat.
He explained how in 2003, the Israeli navy took his boat along with about $10,000 worth of equipment. He told the soldier “All my family depends on this boat. We can’t live without this boat. If I don’t go back I can eat and drink here.  If I go back without my boat I will not eat.”
When Al-Hesy saw the other fishermen he told them he wouldn’t go back to Gaza without his boat.  The other fishermen agreed to do the same and refused to get on the bus to the Eretz border crossing.  Israeli forces eventually forced all the fishermen on the bus.
Al-Hesy and the other men were eventually released at 2 a.m., but his trawler, along with that of Omar al Habil, remains in Israeli custody.  Al-Hesy has been fishing since he was 13 and makes about 20 shekels a day, or $5.70.  He recalls making 1000 shekels ($285) when Israel permitted fishing up to 20 miles. In addition to sustaining a bullet wound to the army, Al-Hesy also had scabs around his right ankle from the ankle cuffs.
His lawsuit stems from an incident in 2007 when the Israeli navy destroyed another boat of his.  That case is still ongoing.
“We fishermen never do anything bad. We don’t send rockets from our boats, we don’t touch any of them, but they kill fishermen, arrest fishermen; they took so many boats.”
Gazan Fishing Trawler Similar to Nehad Al-Hesy's

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Amnesty International "whitewashes" Israeli Navy's crimes

Finally, after 3 years of efforts from international activists (ISM, Free Gaza Movement, CPSGaza), Amnesty International decided to pay some attention on the issue of Gaza fishermen. In the episode 7 of Amnesty TV, by Amnesty UK, there is a 3:51 part concering Gaza fishermen. (Go to 1:47).

http://tv.amnesty.org.uk/episodes/episode-seven/the_facts/



But all we see on this video is an Israeli gunboat aproaching and just... calling 2 fishermen in a small boat, accompanied by foreign hebrew speaking journalists, to go closer to the beach.

Is it just this what is really happening to the Gaza fishermen?

Where are the images of Gaza fishermen killed by the Israeli Navy?

Mohammed Nadi Saleh al-'Attar (picture from In Gaza blog)


Where do we hear the voice of the families of killed fishermen?




Where do we see in Amnesty´s video, the injured fishermen?








Where do we see in Amnesty's video the Gaza fishermen mutilated by Israeli gunfire?




Where do we see in Amnesty's video the fishing boats with dozens of bullet holes?






Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the fishing boats incinerated after Israeli shelling?




Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the fishing boats rammed by Israeli gunboats?





Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the Israeli gunboats shooting at the nets of the fishing boats? And bullets found inside the fishing boat...




Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the Israli gunboats throwing explosives near the fishing boats and spraying the fishermen and the catch of fishes with unknown biological or chemical liquid?




Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the Israeli gunboats firing shells, machinegun fire, tracer bullets and water from watercannon?




Where do we see in Amnesty's video, international activists injured by shattered glass during watercannon attacks?




Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the international accompaniment boat Oliva, attacked with watercannon by Israeli gunboats?






Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the Gaza fishermen who have been abducted, detained and abused, in order to become spies?





If small organizations with few activists like ISM, Free Gaza Movement or CPSGaza and a few Palestinian or foreign journalists, have managed to show the real life of Gaza fishermen, why can't the biggest human rights organization in the world, with 3 million members and a huge budget, do the same? And why Amnesty International didn't use some of this footage for the report on Gaza fishermen?
After seeing all these images, you can understand why Amnesty's report (of Israeli Navy just... shouting to the Palestinian fishermen), can be considered rather a "whitewash" of Israeli Navy's crimes, than a decent human rights report...

kaxlan2009

(The opinions expressed in this post are of  kaxlan2009, the administrator of Fishing Under Fire, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other international activists who have worked or still working with Gaza fishermen)

Puertas al Mar (Spanish documentary on Gaza Fishermen - English Subtitles)


Puertas al Mar English Subtitles from Puertas Al Mar on Vimeo.

Between December 2010 and January 2011 the Israeli army's attacks on Gaza's waters caused at least 14 arrests, among them two children, the confiscation of 2 boats and damages in equipments.

This documentary is part of a project implemented by UAWC and the APY Foundation in the Gaza Strip for the rehabilitation of fishing boats, distribution of equipment, and trainings in human rights and advocacy.
A total of 886 families dependent on fishing benefited from the project, which had the financial support of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID).
This documentary is the sole responsibility of its authors and the UAWC, and does not reflect necessarily the opinion of the AECID.

20, 12, 6, 3 nautical miles. Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip see how their working area shrinks more and more. Their boats sail up and down the coast, finding little fish in highly polluted waters. They make a living between shifting boundaries imposed by the gunfire of the Israeli army. The sea that always fed them now has gates that cannot be crossed.

http://puertasalmar.org/indexeng.htm

Israeli Gunboats Fire on Palestinian Fishing Boats in North Gaza District

3-12-2011

At approximately 06:00 on Saturday, 3 December 2011, Israeli naval vessels patrolling the Gaza Sea opened fire on a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of the As-Sudaniya area west of Beit Lahyia in North Gaza district. The firing scared the fishermen on the boats and they sailed to land immediately. No casualties or injuries were reported.

Israeli Gunboats Fire on Palestinian Fishing Boats in Rafah

3-12-2011

At approximately 18:40 on Saturday, 3 December 2011, IOF naval vessels patrolling the Gaza Sea opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast opposite Rafah. The firing scared the fishermen on the boats and they sailed to land immediately. No casualties or injuries were reported.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Israeli Gunboats Fire on Palestinian Fishing Boats in North Gaza District

2-12-2011

At approximately 06:30 on Friday, 2 December 2011, Israeli naval vessels patrolling the Gaza Sea opened fire on a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of the As-Sudania area west of Beit Lahyia in North Gaza district. The firing scared the fishermen on the boats and they sailed to land immediately. No casualties or injuries were reported.