Source:Xinhua Published: 2015-3-8 10:18:15
Israeli naval forces gunfire killed on Saturday a Palestinian fisherman while he was fishing in the waters of the Gaza Strip, medics and officials said.
Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the Gaza Ministry of Health told reporters that Tawfiq Abu Ryala, a Gaza fisherman was critically wounded earlier on Saturday morning by Israeli naval forces gunfire.
"Abu Ryala, who was critically wounded died of his wounds later at Shifa Hospital," said al-Qedra.
Nizar Ayyash, chairman of the Gaza Fisherman Union told Xinhua that Israeli naval forces opened fire on Saturday morning at Palestinian fishermen in the waters of the Gaza Strip, and seriously wounded one fisherman.
Ayyash added that after the Israeli forces wounded the young fisherman, the soldiers arrested two others and confiscated their fishing boats and took them to a detention in Israel.
"Over the past two weeks, Israeli naval forces measures against fishermen had increased. The soldiers open fire at the fishing boats, wounded and detained many fishermen," said Ayyash.
On Thursday, the Israeli naval forces wounded two fishermen and detained four others and confiscated their fishing boats. The fishermen haven't been released yet and still in Israeli jails, according to Ayyash.
At the end of a 50-day large-scale Israeli military offensive waged on the Gaza Strip last summer, Israel and Gaza Hamas-led militants reached a ceasefire brokered by Egypt.
According to the deal, Israel expanded the allowed fishing zone for Gaza fishermen to 6 miles, but later Israel minimized the zone to three miles and claimed that fishermen are involved in smuggling weapons to Gaza militants.