Israeli occupation forces on Monday fired at Palestinian fishermen offshore the northern Gaza coasts.

Local sources said the Israeli gunboats opened machinegun fire at the Palestinian fishing boats offshore al-Sudaniya district to the northwest of Gaza, forcing the fishermen to flee to avoid the shooting.

The Israeli naval forces on Sunday morning arrested 10 fishermen and confiscated five ships and carried them to the Israeli harbor of Ashdod. The ships were released Sunday night. 

The Israeli navy targets Palestinian fishermen off Gaza almost on a daily basis, causing civilian casualties among fishermen or damaging their boats.

Under the Egypt-brokered ceasefire negotiations last August, Israel agreed with Palestinian factions to extend the fishing zone allowed for Palestinians to six nautical miles. Nevertheless, fire attacks on Palestinian fishermen by the Israeli navy continued. 

During the Israeli aggression in 2014, Palestinian fishermen suffered severe financial losses after Israeli jet fighters struck sheds storing fishing equipment. The current six-nautical-mile fishing zone falls drastically short of meeting the actual demand for fish products in Gaza and the West Bank.

Source : MENA