Israeli occupation escalates against Gaza fishermen: arrests and casualties
GAZA, Aug. 21 (YPA) – Israeli occupation forces have escalated violations against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip, arresting two fishermen on Thursday morning after attacking and opening fire on a fishing boat off the Gaza port.
The ‘Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights’ stated that occupation forces continue, for the third consecutive year, to ban fishermen from venturing into the sea, depriving them of their livelihoods and exacerbating their living conditions and ability to support their families.
The center clarified that Israeli gunboats attacked a paddle-propelled fishing boat carrying four fishermen, forcing two of them to strip off their clothes and enter the water before arresting them. The two detainees were identified as Yousef Zaher Abu Riyala (22) and Mohammed Saeed Al-Zahar (32), residents of the Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza, and were taken to an unknown location.
The occupation has imposed a comprehensive naval blockade on the Strip since October 2023, barring fishermen from the open sea. This has forced them to fish within a narrow strip of approximately one kilometer from the shoreline using rowboats, even as they face gunfire, pursuit, detention, and, in many instances, injury and death.
During the genocidal war on Gaza, occupation forces destroyed nearly 95% of the fishing sector, including the Gaza port, fishing boats, fishermen’s storage rooms, gear, and infrastructure, in addition to destroying the Khan Yunis port and anchorages in Rafah and northern Gaza, alongside partial damage to anchorages in Al-Zawaida and Deir al-Balah.
For his part, the head of the General Union of Fishing and Marine Production Workers, Zakaria Bakr, stated that occupation forces killed 233 Palestinian fishermen during the war, wounded 140 others with varying injuries, and detained 130 fishermen, most of whom were later released.
The Al-Mezan Center condemned the Israeli violations against fishermen and the fishing sector, stressing that barring them from the sea constitutes a form of collective punishment prohibited under international law. It called on the international community and relevant bodies to assume their responsibilities, halt the Israeli genocide and crimes, provide protection for civilians, hold those responsible for the violations accountable, and ensure justice and compensation for the victims.
YPA