The Israeli navy has escalated its attacks against Palestinian fishermen sailing off the Gaza coast, with two incidents of arrest documented within one week. In the second case, six fishermen were arrested and two boats were confiscated. The illegal and unwarranted use of live fire, arbitrary arrests, and restrictions on Palestinian fishers by Israeli authorities has long created dangerous and costly conditions for Gaza’s fishers, including risks to their lives and livelihoods. The seizure, damage, and destruction of fishing boats is regularly reported, and use of live ammunition against fishers is recorded on an almost daily basis by Al Mezan.

According to Al Mezan’s field investigation, at approximately 9:30pm on Tuesday, 26 April 2022, the Israeli navy opened fire at and surrounded two fishing boats located eight nautical miles off the coast of Rafah, south Gaza. The boats were carrying six fishermen, including three children: Mohammed Ayman al-Bardawil, 20, Ibrahim Hweshil Abu Owdan, 25, Mohammed Esayyed Abu Batn, 27, Khalil Nabil al-Bardawil, 14, Mohammed Ibrahim al-Bardawil, 16 and Mohammed Nabil al-Bardawil, 17—all residents of Rafah City. They were arrested and their boats were confiscated, without cause. The fishermen were released the next day through Erez Crossing, however, their boats are still being held, with huge impacts on their right to work and means of subsistence.

It should be noted that Israel’s restrictions permit fishing in the area up to 12 and 15 nautical miles depending on boat size, and therefore the eight-mile location of the fishermen was well within Israel’s own, arbitrary restrictions. According to the Law of the Sea, this area is also considered to be Palestinian territorial waters, meaning that the regulation of the exploitation of fishery resources is a right of Palestine, the coastal state. That the fishermen were released only hours after their arrest is further evidence that the arrests were unfounded and instead aimed at intimidating the fishers, disrupting their work and sequestering natural resources.

This latest incident comes just days after a similar episode on 25 April, in which the Israeli navy arrested three fishermen and confiscated their boat off the coast of Rafah. Al Mezan’s documentation shows that since the beginning of 2022, the Israeli navy has carried out 98 attacks against Palestinian fishermen, injuring nine (including three children), arbitrarily arresting 23 fishers (including six children) and confiscating seven fishing boats. In addition, the Israeli authorities continue to ban the entry into Gaza of necessary fishing equipment and materials as part of their stringent closure on the Strip.

Al Mezan condemns the escalation of violations against Palestinian fishers and demands that the confiscated boats and fishing equipment be immediately returned. These unwarranted and illegal practices are part of Israel’s unlawful closure policy that amounts to a prohibited collective punishment under international law and represent inhumane acts that constitute the crime of apartheid under the 1973 Apartheid Convention.

Al Mezan reiterates its calls on the international community, in particular the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention, to uphold their obligations toward the Palestinian people and pressure Israel to end its closure on the Gaza Strip and stop its systematic violations against the civilian population, including fishers.