17 February 2019, MA’AN News

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – Israeli naval forces opened fire towards Palestinian fishing boats, on Sunday morning, off the coast of Khan Younis, in the southern the besieged Gaza Strip.

Locals told Ma’an that Israeli naval forces repeatedly opened heavy fire towards several fishing boats, as they were working within the permitted fishing zone, forcing them to sail back to shore. No injuries were reported.

The Israeli army regularly detains and opens fire on unarmed Palestinian fishermen, shepherds, and farmers along the border areas if they approach the unilaterally declared buffer zone.

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem recently concluded that Israel’s Gaza closure and “harassment of fishermen” have been “destroying Gaza’s fishing sector,” with 95% of fishermen living below the poverty line.

Source: MA’AN News