The Israeli navy on Tuesday evening opened machinegun fire at Palestinian fishermen and their boats off the coast of Khan Younis and Rafah south of the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) reporter in Gaza said that Israeli gunboats in the southern waters of Gaza intensively opened fire at Palestinian fishermen during their presence within the permitted fishing zone.
Luckily no one was hurt in the attack. The intensity of shooting however forced all the fishermen there to return ashore without finishing their work.
Israeli gunboats are around Gaza fishermen every day harassing them shooting at them damaging their boats and making arrests. Sometimes fishermen are injured or killed during gunfire attacks.
A few weeks ago an Israeli gunboat deliberately rammed into a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of al-Sudaniya area north of Gaza. This led to the death of one fisherman and the sinking of the fishing boat.
Under the 1993 Oslo accords Palestinian fishermen are permitted to fish up to 20 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza. Over the past 18 years however Israel has reduced the fishing area gradually to a limit of three nautical miles as part of its blockade on Gaza.
But fishermen and human rights groups say that since the 2008-09 war in Gaza the Israeli army regularly enforces a limit even closer to the shore.
