Ref: 80/2013
Date: 14 August 2013
Time: 11:30 GMT
On Tuesday morning, three Palestinian fishermen sustained various injuries after being attacked by the Israeli Naval forces approximately 6 nautical miles off the Gaza shore while they were practicing their right to fish. Israeli forces arrested the fishermen, took them to Ashdod port and confiscated their boat, whose engine broke down by bullets. The fishermen who were released later lost their fishing equipment before they were released. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the continuation of Israeli forces’ attacks against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip and expresses deep concern over the increase of such attacks. PCHR also calls upon Israeli forces to stop their policy of fighting fishermen in their livelihoods and allow them to fish freely in Gaza waters.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 12:00 on Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 3 a fishing boat belonging to Ahmed ‘Awad al-Sa’aidi sailed nearly 6 nautical miles to the south off Gaza Valley in the central Gaza Strip. At approximately 03:30, an Israeli gunboat, accompanied with 2 rubber boats, attacked a Palestinian fishing boat amidst intensive shooting. As a result, the three fishermen on board were injured, and the boat engine broke down while the fishermen were trying to flee. Israeli soldiers forced the three fishermen to take their clothes off despite their injury by rubber bullets due to the attack of one of the rubber boats against the fishing boat, and took the three fishermen into one of the rubber boats, handcuffed and blindfolded them. Israeli forces then took them to the Israeli gunboat and pulled the fishing boat to Ashdod port in Israel. The fishing equipment was also missed. At approximately 16:00, they were released and transferred to Beit Hanoun Crossing “Erez”. The fishermen were identified as:
Khader Merwan ‘Awad al-Sa’aidi (26), a fisherman from Shati’ refugee camp (al-Balakhia area) in Gaza, said to a PCHR fieldworker that:
“At approximately 12:00 on Tuesday, 13 August 2013, I sailed from the Gaza port on my boa with Hasan ‘Ali Hasan Murad (27), and Mohammed Jamal Hassan al-No’aman (28) with his brother Hasan (27) accompanied us but on another boat. We headed to the south off the Gaza Valley and continued to sail to the west till we reached 6 nautical miles off shore. We threw the fishing nets in that area, and after a while the other engine boat broke down. Therefore, we helped Hasan No’aman and took him to a place near the beach, where a number of boats stationed, while Mohammed stayed with us on our boat. At approximately 03:30, I returned in my boat to where we threw our nets in order to get them out. Suddenly, I heard a sound of a whistle coming from an Israeli gunboat, which approached and started to shoot at us. The gunboat was accompanied with two small boats, on which there were a number of Israeli soldiers who surrounded our boat. I immediately cut the net off in order to flee, but the intensive shooting at us resulted in my injury with a rubber-coated bullet to my right hand. Na’aman attempted to sail the boat after I was injured, but he was then hit by a bullet to the back. Suddenly, I saw one of the Israeli small boats overpassing our boat. As a result, it hit Hasan’s face, who started to bleed from his nose, and the boat engine was shot, so we stopped amidst the continuing shooting at us. As a result, Mohammed and I were injured again with bullets, so we fell ointo the board. One of the soldiers forced us to take our clothes off and jump into one of the rubber boats amidst a state of fear and panic due to the continued shooting around us. We took our clothes off and jumped onto the rubber boat where Israeli soldiers handcuffed us and covered our heads. Half an hour later, the Israeli rubber boat took us in the waters for around 15 minutes, and then we were transferred to the Israeli gunboat, where we stayed from approximately 04:00 to 11:00. The Israeli gunboat then headed to the Ashdod port, where we were taken to a room to receive medical treatment. At approximately 14:00, we were individually questioned for minutes. At approximately 16:00, we were transported by a bus to the Beit Hanoun Crossing (Erez) and were released from there. We were then taken to Shifa Hospital in Gaza order to receive medical treatment
At approximately 07:00 on Tuesday, 06 August 2013, Israeli Naval forces attacked 6 Palestinian fishing boats 6 nautical miles off the Gaza Valley in the Gaza waters. The Israeli gunboats chased the fishing boats amidst intensive shooting at them. As a result, the fishermen miraculously escaped from death while a fishing boat belonging to Rajab Khaled Abu Reyalah, a fisherman from Shati’ refugee camp in Gaza, was hit by 20 bullets resulting severe damages in the boat. The Palestinian boats managed to escape from the area after they lost their fishing nets, which they left behind them due to the Israeli Naval forces’ attack.
It should be noted that the two incidents took place within the 6-nautical-mile limit for fishing and sailing imposed by Israeli forces for fishing in Gaza seawaters.
PCHR condemns the continuous Israeli attacks against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip, and:
