The Israeli navy has opened fire on a fishing boat injuring a Palestinian in waters off northern Gaza. (File photo)
Israeli naval forces have shot and injured a Palestinian fisherman in waters off the northern coast of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Head of the Gaza fishermen’s union, Nizar Aayesh, said on Monday that the man was taken to the hospital after Israeli navy’s gunfire rocked his fishing vessel.
“There was a shooting toward a Palestinian fishing boat in the sea off northern Gaza. One fisherman was injured and the occupation’s navy took him to Barzilai hospital,” Aayesh said.
Palestinian boats are only allowed to fish within waters up to six nautical miles from the coast under the terms of the Israeli regime’s naval blockade on Gaza.
Meanwhile, Palestinian sources said the wounded fisherman’s boat had been within the limits of the so-called fishing zone when the shooting took place. However, Israeli sources claimed the boat was beyond the restricted zone.
Aayesh also stated that the fishing boat was “within the six-nautical-mile limit, but the Israeli vessels took the boat and whoever was on it and we are waiting for the fisherman to come back to know more details.”
The recent shooting comes a few weeks after an Egypt-mediated ceasefire put an end to eight days of deadly Israeli attacks on Gaza on November 21. The Israeli military has violated the truce on several instances.
On November 23, Israeli forces opened fire on a group of farmers in the village of Khuzaa, east of Khan Yunis, killing a young Palestinian and injuring seven others.
MKA/HSN/MA
