RAMALLAH, June 2, 2016 (WAFA) - The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemned the Israeli attacks against fishermen and their property in the Gaza Strip Sea.
PCHR called upon the international community to intervene to protect the Palestinian fishermen and stop violations and direct attacks practiced against them and their property.
PCHR strongly condemned the new Israeli attacks against Palestinian fishermen and their property, arrests, opening gunfire at them without offering first aid, confiscation of fishing boats and other property.
PCHR also considered these attack as a grave violation of the fishermen’s right to sail and fish freely and to protect their property in the Gaza waters.
Moreover, PCHR ‘believes that such attacks against Palestinian fishermen constitute a form of collective punishment against them which aims to target fishermen and their livelihood’.
Furthermore, PCHR called upon the international community to provide protection for Palestinian fishermen and their right to sail and fish freely, and to stop all forms of collective punishment against fishermen and their property which violate the international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, on May 30st 2016, three fishing boats were sailing within 3 nautical miles offshore, southwest of the Gaza City, on board of which were 7 fishermen. A fisherman stated that he saw two Israeli gunboats quickly approaching their boats, therefore, the fishermen attempted to flee to the shore for fear of being arrested or for their boats to be confiscated. However, they were surprised by heavy fire at them.
As a result, Rajab Khalid Rajab Abu Riyalah, 30, was hit with a live bullet to the right knee, while his brother Khalid, who was on board of the same boat, was hit with a rubber-coated metal bullet to the abdomen.
Israeli forces arrested the two wounded fishermen in addition to the three others, who were identified as Hasan Mohamed Ibrahim Miqdad, 31, and his brother Mohamed, 29, in addition to Mohamed Bashir Sha’ban Abu Riyalah, 21, after forcing them to take off their clothes.
T.R.
