Fishermen in the Gaza Strip organized, today, Sunday, a protest against the continued Israeli occupation in imposing its naval blockade on the Strip since the eighth of last month.
The occupation forces closed the coast of the Gaza Strip to the fishermen, before returning a few days after the end of the aggression to open it for a distance of 6 miles, where they pursued them in an area of ​​less than 3 miles and deprived them of fishing by firing at them and repeatedly targeting them with different methods.
The participants in the sit-in, which was organized in the port of Gaza City, raised slogans calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities and work to lift the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip, and provide international protection for fishermen in light of the repeated targeting of them on a daily basis.
Nizar Ayyash, head of the fishermen’s syndicate in Gaza, said that the occupation boats surrounded the fishermen at sea, chased them and confiscated their boats, pointing out that the occupation is holding more than 27 Hasaka, and 60 “motors” for those hassakes and others.
Ayyash pointed out that before the last aggression, the occupation forces intensified their daily targeting of fishermen, and that they deliberately target the economic security of the community, and during the war the occupation burned and damaged fishermen´s nets and sabotaged them.
And he indicated that the occupation forces, after the end of the aggression, are still targeting fishermen and preventing them from working at sea, to fight this segment of their livelihood, noting that there are 1,000 boats on which about 4,500 fishermen work.
He called on the competent, Arab and international authorities to support and support fishermen and implement projects to enhance their resilience.
For his part, Ashraf Abu Zayed, head of the government committee to break the siege in Gaza, said that the occupation is deliberately targeting aspects of life and tightening its siege on the Strip, by closing the sea and crossings.
He pointed out that the category of fishermen is one of the groups most affected by the strict naval blockade, and they are constantly targeted by the occupation forces.
He called for the need to allow fishermen to exercise their right to fish, and to keep the fishing area open without being bound by any limits.
