Israeli Gunboats Open fire at Palestinian Fishing Boats West of Deir Al Balah

At approximately 10:00 am on Sunday, 1 May 2016, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the cost of Deir Al Balah. According to Al Mezan’s field investigations, an Israeli gunboat attacked a small fishing boat that belonged to Mohammed Musbah Shahada, 35, and was sailing at about 8 nautical miles off the coast. The boat was attacked by intensive fire and Israeli soldiers insulted the fisherman with degrading language. The Israeli gunboat continued to chase the fishing boat inside the designated fishing zone and forced the fisherman to sail back to shore. As a result, Mohammed’s boat was damaged due to the heavy shooting.