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Israeli forces arbitrarily arrest four fishermen in Palestinian territorial waters and confiscate their boat

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24 July 2023 |Reference 45/2023

Israeli naval forces continue perpetrating grave and systematic human rights violations against Palestinian fishermen sailing off the Gaza coast. Al Mezan documents Israel’s harassment of Gaza fishermen in Palestinian territorial waters on a regular basis, including the recurrent attacks, arbitrary arrests, seizure of fishing boats and equipment, and the use of live ammunition against them. Because of these practices, fishing off the Gaza coast has become a dangerous occupation with inherent risks to life and security.

In the past two days, Al Mezan has documented two separate incidents off the coast of Gaza's northern district. At approximately 10 a.m. on Monday, 24 July 2023, the Israeli navy surrounded a fishing boat located three nautical miles off the coast of the Al-Waha area, in the North Gaza District. The boat was carrying four fishermen: Haitham Tareq Bakr, 35, Amjad Tareq Bakr, 32, Jaber Tareq Bakr, 22, and Firas Tareq Bakr, 19—all residents of Gaza City. All four fishermen were arbitrarily arrested, and their boat was confiscated by Israeli authorities. One day earlier, on Sunday, 23 July 2023, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats sailing off the Al-Sudaniya area, in the North Gaza District, prompting the fishermen to stop their work and leave the area. Fisherman Mohammed Youssef al-Hissi, 22, reported minor injuries in his left shoulder.

Al Mezan’s documentation shows that, since the beginning of 2023, the Israeli navy has carried out 180 attacks against Palestinian fishermen, injuring 11, arbitrarily arresting 19, and confiscating six fishing boats. It must also be noted that Israeli authorities still ban the entry of necessary fishing materials and equipment to the Strip as part of their settler-colonial closure against Gaza.

Al Mezan calls for the immediate release of the fishermen and the return of the confiscated fishing boat. We also strongly condemn Israel’s continuous unwarranted and illegal practices against Palestinian fishermen, which are part of Israel’s unlawful closure policy that amounts to a prohibited collective punishment under international law and represents inhumane acts that constitute the crime of apartheid under the 1973 Apartheid Convention.

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