A Palestinian Fisherman Killed by Israeli Naval Fire on the Gaza Coast

The Israeli army reported that on the evening of Sunday, March 6, a Palestinian fisherman was killed due to fire from its naval forces while on his fishing boat off the coast of Gaza. The Israeli army described the reason for the gunfire as the Palestinian fishing boat's 'violation' of the 'permitted area' for fishing. According to reports from Palestinian and Israeli media, the Palestinian fisherman, who was severely injured in the Israeli army's gunfire, died hours later from his injuries. Two or three other Palestinian fishermen on the boat, referred to by Israeli media as 'other suspicious individuals,' were handed over to the country's security forces for 'interrogation.' The Israeli army stated in its announcement that it followed standard procedures for 'stopping a suspicious boat,' first issuing a warning, then conducting aerial fire, and finally shooting at the hull of the boat. According to Reuters, Nizar Ayyash, the secretary of the Gaza Fishermen's Union, claimed that the mentioned boat had not committed any wrongdoing and added that the Israeli army fired at the boat while it was returning to the Gaza shore. Fishing is one of the main sources of income for the two million residents of Gaza. Besides the land blockade, Gaza is also under siege in its coastal waters, both in Israeli and Egyptian territories. Israeli naval vessels patrol the Mediterranean waters to prevent the arrival of weapons for militant groups in Gaza or 'terrorist infiltrations' by sea. Under security regulations, Palestinian fishermen must adhere to a designated area of 6 by 9 nautical miles in the northern coastal section of Gaza and a similar area in the southern Mediterranean waters for fishing. The Palestinian Hamas movement, which governs Gaza, condemned the killing of the Palestinian fisherman as a 'heinous crime' and attributed responsibility to the 'occupiers.' Last month, Hamas also criticized the Egyptian army for killing a Palestinian fisherman. Last month's gunfire from an Egyptian naval vessel at a Palestinian boat approaching the Egyptian shores of Rafah resulted in the death of 33-year-old fisherman Abdullah Zidan. The Gaza Fishermen's Union had staged a day-and-a-half strike in protest against the actions of the Egyptian army.