Al Mezan Center for Human rights Condemns Israeli Escalation against Palestinian Fishermen and Calls for Prompt Intervention to End the Blockade on Gaza

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stepped up its violations against fishermen in the Gaza Strip.
Since the cease-fire started on Tuesday 26th August 2014, IOF injured one person, arrested 9 fishermen and continued sabotaging their fishing nets (22 fishing nets were torn).
According to Al Mezan’s filed investigations, at 3:00 pm on Monday 22 September 2014, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off coast, west of Al Zahra, west of Gaza City.
Israeli navy then surrounded a boat which was carrying five fishermen: Sofian Mohye Ad-Din Kollab, 47, Mohammed Youssif Abu Ouda, 24; Mustafa Haidar Abu Ouda, 25; Ahmed Ziad As-Shareef, 32, and Abdel Raheem Abu Selmiyya, 30, all of whom are residents of Al Shate refugee camp.
IOF forced the fishermen to take off their clothes and to swim toward the Israeli gunboat before they tied them up and took them to the Israeli port of Ashdod (Osdoud).
The five fishermen were investigated, verbally abused and subjected to degrading treatment before they were released.
IOF is still confiscating their boat and their fishing nets.
This is the sixth such since the cease-fire came into effect on 26th August.
Al Mezan views all such practices involving arbitrary detentions, fire-shooting and the sabotaging of fishing boats and nets as unlawful actions which constitute part and parcel of the Israeli occupation policy of collective punishment, which it has imposed on residents of the Gaza Strip for years, particularly that it is often the case that IOF arrests fisherman who committed no offence, therefore releasing them after they have been subjected to degrading treatment.
.
Al Mezan condemns Israel’s systematic violations against Palestinian fishermen and stresses that using the illuminating buoys to limit and restrict fishermen’s movement and hamper their work is considered as a form of collective punishment and is an integral part of the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip which amounts to a war crime.
Al Mezan believes that the silence of the international community only serves to bolster IOF to move forward with its violations and unlawful practices.
Therefore, Al Mezan calls on the international community to promptly intervene and fulfill its legal and moral obligations as dictated by international law especially the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding the protection of civilians during times of armed conflict, and which ensures respect for the rules of the International Humanitarian Law at all times and takes the necessary measures in order to stop gross violations and prosecute the perpetrators of such violations.
End