Ref: 12/2015
Date: 08 March 2015
Time: 10:00 GMT
Israeli navy forces killed a Palestinian fisherman when Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats in the Gaza Strip sea. They also arrested two others and confiscated two fishing boats. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the continuing Israeli attacks on Palestinian fishermen, which are part of the Israeli policy to target fishermen and their livelihood and deny them fishing and sailing freely in the Gaza Strip sea.
According to preliminary information obtained by PCHR, at approximately 01:15 on Saturday, 07 March 2015, Israeli gunboats chased three fishing boats sailing within 1.5 nautical miles off Gaza seaport. Fishermen said that Israeli navy forces opened fire in the air and at fishermen, who tried to sail back and flee. As a result, a fisherman, Tawfiq Sa’id Abu Reyala (32) sustained a bullet wound to the abdomen and his boat broke down. Other fishermen transported him to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to receive medical treatment. He was admitted to the hospital at 02:30. Medical sources stated that Abu Reyala sustained a bullet wound to the abdomen and the bullet exited from the back, due to which he suffered severe hemorrhage that caused his death at approximately 12:30.
A fisherman added that a group of fishermen headed amidst fire on board another boat belonging to Abu Reyala too to rescue him after he was wounded. However, they were fired at by Israeli forces, due to which they fled and left the boat behind. Israeli forces confiscated the two boats and arrested two fishermen: Wahid al-Sayed Kaskin (21); and his brother Jihad (22).
PCHR strongly condemns the Israeli ongoing attacks on Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip and calls for:
• Immediate stoppage of chasing Palestinian fishermen and allowing them to sail and fish freely;
• Releasing the detained fishermen and ensuring remedy for victims of Israeli violations; and
• The international community, including the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949, to intervene to stop all Israeli violations against fishermen and allow them fish freely in the Gaza Strip sea.
