Al Mezan Condemns Escalation of Israeli Attacks on Palestinian Fishermen and Calls for Immediate Lifting of Siege

Israeli abuses against Palestinian fishermen in Gazan waters have escalated in recent weeks, as Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have adopted new tactics causing increased physical damage to Palestinian fishing boats.
 The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has noted that the IOF has recently begun opening fire directly on the boats’ engines, with no justifiable cause.
 These escalating attacks come in the context of Israel’s maritime siege on the Gaza Strip, which prevents Palestinian fishermen from working, even within the Israeli-imposed “fishing zone” of three nautical miles along the Gazan coast.
The Israeli authorities are thus seeking to entrench the marine siege.
 The IOF deliberately opens fire on and around Palestinian fishermen and damages their boats and engines, preventing them from working, even when the fishermen are within the Israeli-imposed “fishing zone.
” According to Al Mezan’s field investigations, over the course of April the IOF has escalated its attacks on Palestinian fishermen.
 In this month alone, the IOF carried out eight attacks on fishermen, as a result of which three boat engines were damaged.
 The IOF also arrested five fishermen, including a minor, who were released several hours after their detention.
 These attacks took place chronologically as follows, starting with the most recent incident:   At aproximately 10:00 am on Tuesday 24 April 2012, Israeli naval vessels patrolling the Gazan sea opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats which were about two nautical miles northwest of the Al Waha resort in North Gaza district.
 The Israeli gunboats surrounded the Palestinian boats and forced two fishermen to take off their clothes and swim to the Israeli vessels.
  The IOF then arrested the two men and seized their boats.
  Al Mezan has identified the two fishermen detained as Nader Yousif Abu Sam’an, 22, and his brother Hasan Yousif Abu Sam’an, 17.
 The IOF released them late the same evening but continued to hold the boat.
 The fishermen are from the Ash-Shaliehat area in Gaza City.
At approximately 10:00 am on Sunday 15 April 2012, Israeli naval vessels patrolling the Gazan sea opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats located about 2.
5 nautical miles from the shore.
 Israeli gunboats surrounded one Palestinian boat and ordered three fishermen on board to take off their clothes and swim to the Israeli ship, then arrested them and confiscated their boat.
  At approximately 4:00 pm on the same day, the IOF released the fishermen but continued to hold the boat.
  Al Mezan has identified the three detaineed as Salah Murad Abed Meqdad, 36; his son Ahmed, 24; and Ali Nafez Al Akhsham, 31.
In the morning hours of Saturday 14 April 2012, Israeli naval vessels opened fire at a Palestinian fishing boat belonging to Belal Sa’eed Abdel Razeq Baker, 29, in Gazan waters.
 As a result, the boat’s engine sustained partial damages.
In the morning hours of Friday 13 April 2012, Israeli naval vessels patrolling the Gazan sea opened fire at a Palestinian fishing boat belonging to Hussein Zaki Baker, 47.
 The boat’s engine sustained damages.
Four times—at roughly 6:00 am on Friday 13 April, 6:00 am on Monday 9 April, 6:30 am on Sunday 8 April, and 6:00 am 7 April 2012—Israeli naval vessels opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats near the maritime border, west of the Al Waha resort, which lies northwest of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip.
  No casualties were reported.
  Al Mezan strongly condemns Israel’s continuous violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law in its dealings with Palestinian fishermen.
 Al Mezan considers Israel’s demarcation a no-go line for Palestinian fishermen (marked by illuminated buoys), the ongoing Israeli maritime siege, and the policy of preventing fishermen from working in the areas most full of fish as part of a series of collective punishments imposed on the Gaza Strip.
 It is part of the general Israeli siege on Gaza, which is a form of collective punishment that is banned under international law and may amount to a war crime and a crime against humanity.
  Therefore, Al Mezan reiterates its previous call on the international community to promptly intervene to uphold its legal and moral obligations under international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilians in Time of War, and to ensure respect of the principles of IHL at all times.
 It also calls on the international community to take all necessary measures to end Israel’s gross violations of human rights, to bring the perpetrators to justice, and to take immediate steps to lift the illegal siege imposed on Gaza, including by ensuring freedom to work for Palestinian fishermen.
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