GAZA, January 16, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli naval boats Saturday opened its heavy machine guns on Palestinian fishermen, despite sailing within the unilaterally designated fishing zone offshore the Gaza Strip.

WAFA correspondent reported that Israeli navy opened fire on fishermen sailing offshore As-sodanyieh area to the northwest of the Gaza Strip, despite sailing within the allowed six-nautical miles, causing large financial damages to the boats. However no human loses or injuries were reported as fishermen managed to sail back to shore fast.

Other navy soldiers reportedly targeted another group of fishermen, while also sailing within the allowed fishing zone  offshore Khan Younis area to the south of the strip, causing financial damages to at least two boats.

To be noted, Israeli navy targets Palestinian fishermen and farmlands along the border almost on daily basis in a blatant breach of the Egyptian brokered truce agreement reached on august 26 of 2014 following almost 51 one days of bloody attacks on the strip.

On August 2014, a ceasefire deal was reached between the Israeli side and armed Palestinian groups, following 51 days of bloody aggression on the strip; the ceasefire deal stipulated that Israel would immediately ease the blockade imposed on the strip and expand the fishing zone off Gaza‘s coast, allowing fishermen to sail as far as six nautical miles from shore, and would continue to expand the area gradually.

srael has however failed to do so, repeatedly violating the ceasefire deal through opening fire on Palestinian fishermen within the fishing zone and reducing their intake.

srael has imposed a tightened blockade since 2007 after Hamas won the democratic legislative elections and took over power in the strip.

The current six-nautical-mile fishing zone falls drastically short of the twenty nautical miles allocated to Palestinian fishermen in the 1993 Oslo Accords.

T.R.