Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue to carry out systematic attacks on Palestinian fishermen.
 The IOF regularly opens fire on fishermen, pursues them at sea while they are fishing, arrests them, confiscates their boats, and damages their fishing equipment.
  These attacks take place in the context of Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip, which deprives Gazans of their right to work and otherwise violates their human rights.
 The IOF prevents Palestinian fishermen from working even when they are within the Israeli-imposed “fishing zone” extending three nautical miles from the shore.
 The zone was declared by the IOF in March 2009.
  It is worth noting that the IOF has continued to entrench the marine siege, recently placing illuminated buoys in the sea opposite the Gazan coast.
  Starting at approximately 4:00 pm on Monday 5 December 2012, the IOF placed such buoys in the Gazan sea at four-kilometer intervals, about three nautical miles off the coastline.
  The buoys form a line demarcating the no-go zone for Palestinian fishermen.
  According to investigations by the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, in February 2012 the IOF carried out five attacks on Palestinian fishermen; arrested five, including a minor; and confiscated three boats and a number of fishing nets.
 Al Mezan documented these attacks as follows:   ·         At approximately 5:40 pm on Sunday 12 February 2012, Israeli vessels patrolling the Gazan sea opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast in North Gaza district.
 The IOF arrested two fishermen, including a minor, and confiscated their boat and fishing nets.
·         At approximately 7:10 am on Monday 13 February 2012, Israeli vessels opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the coast in North Gaza district.
 The IOF arrested two fishermen and confiscated their boat and fishing nets.
·         At approximately 6:30 am on Tuesday 14 February 2012, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the coast in North Gaza district.
 The IOF arrested one fisherman and confiscated his boat and fishing net.
·         At approximately 5:30 am on Wednesday 15 February 2012, Israeli naval vessels patrolling the Gazan sea opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast north of Al Waha resort, in the As-Sudaniya area in the west of Beit Lahiya, North Gaza district.
 No casualties or injuries were reported.
·         At approximately 7:00 pm on Saturday 18 February 2012, Israeli naval vessels patrolling the Gaza sea opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast north of Al Waha resort in North Gaza district.
 No casualties or injuries were reported.
·         At approximately 6:30 pm on Sunday 26 February 2012, Israeli naval vessels fired on Palestinian boats in the waters off the coast of Deir Al Balah in Middle Gaza district.
 The firing frightened the fishermen on the boats and they sailed to land immediately.
 No casualties or injuries were reported.
·         At approximately 6:00 pm on Monday 27 February 2012, Israeli naval vessels fired on Palestinian boats in the same area, frightening the fishermen into returning to land.
 Israeli forces confiscated a number of fishing nets in this incident.
  The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights strongly condemns the continuous Israeli attacks on Palestinian fishermen.
  It also emphasizes that Israel’s imposition of restrictions on fishing is part of a series of collective punishments imposed on Gaza, and comes in the general context of the Israeli siege on the Strip.
 Al Mezan emphasizes that the international community’s silence in the face of Israeli human rights violations has encouraged Israel to carry out more such abuses.
  Therefore, Al Mezan reiterates its previous call on the international community to promptly intervene and uphold its moral obligations and legal commitments under international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.
  This Convention stipulates respect for international humanitarian law at all times and details procedures to ensure an end to gross violations and legal accountability for perpetrators.
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