TEL AVIV, February 25, 2007, (WAFA)- B'Tselem , Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territory, said that Israel Navy crews have used a new method of humiliating and abusing the fishermen in the Gaza Strip.

In its report, B'Tselem revealed that Israeli crews forced fishermen to go further out to sea and then ordered them, under threat of firearms, to undress and swim dozens of meters in the sea to the navy ship, despite the bitter cold.

"The Israeli sailors threatened to shoot anyone who did not want to jump in because he didn't know how to swim. The fishermen were ordered to swim to a rescue float that the soldiers threw into the water, but the soldiers yanked at the float just before the fishermen reached it. After being taken on board, the ship sailed to Ashdod Port," B'Tselem said.

B'Tselem added that on the way, the fishermen were kept on deck in their soaked underwear, exposed to the wind and the spray of water. At the port, the fishermen were held for from fourteen to twenty-four hours, their hands cuffed and their eyes covered, and interrogated. In some cases, they were given military clothes and were offered food and a hot beverage. At the end of the interrogation, they were taken back to the ship and returned to where their boat had been anchored. The sailors then forced them to undress again and swim to their boat.

"Since the abduction of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, on 25 June 2006 , Israel has forbidden boats, including fishing boats, to sail off the Gaza coast. The prohibition has struck a severe blow to the fishing sector, which provides a livelihood for tens of thousands of residents of the Gaza Strip," it said.

B'Tselem calls on the government of Israel to remove the unofficial prohibition on fishing off the Gaza coast, to cease detaining and abusing fisherman, and to respect their rights, including the right to earn a living in dignity.

M.H.(09:13 P)(07:13 GMT)