zionist gunboats target Gaza fishermen off Rafah

Israeli gunboats have opened fire at Gazan fishermen off the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, Press TV reports.

Two Israeli gunboats shot two fishing trawlers belonging to Palestinian fishermen near the Egyptian international waters on Thursday.

Palestinian fishermen normally head south towards the Egyptian maritime border to buy fish from Egyptian fishermen as Israeli navy does not allow them to fish off the coast of Gaza.

The Israeli navy claimed that the fishermen were smugglers and tried to justify their action through this flimsy excuse.

The fishermen were managed to swim to shore and they were not injured by the Israeli gunfire. But the trawlers were taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

A similar incident took place on Wednesday off the coast of Gaza City.

Gazan fishermen are faced with Israeli aggressions on a nearly daily basis in a clear violation of international law.

Palestinian boats are permitted to fish up to six nautical miles from the Gaza coast according to the terms of Israel’s naval blockade on the impoverished enclave.

The fishing area was extended to six nautical miles from three nautical miles on November 21, 2012, in the truce deal that ended an eight-day Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip.

Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, which is a situation that has caused a decline in living standards, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.