The Israeli navy attacked Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, firing live ammunition and water cannons at their boats. The attacks took place in the northern and southern coasts of the besieged enclave, forcing the fishermen to flee for their lives.
According to WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, the navy opened fire at fishing boats sailing three nautical miles in the northern Gaza coast in the Sudaniyeh area and in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported, but the fishermen’s livelihoods were endangered by the Israeli aggression.
The Israeli navy routinely harasses and attacks Gaza fishermen, who are already restricted to a narrow fishing zone of six nautical miles by the Israeli blockade. Israel claims that the blockade is necessary for security reasons, but human rights groups denounce it as a form of collective punishment against the two million Palestinians living in Gaza.
The fishing sector is one of the main sources of income and food for many families in Gaza, which has been under Israeli siege since 2007. The Israeli attacks have severely damaged the fishing industry, causing losses of millions of dollars and affecting thousands of workers.
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