Fishermen in Gaza cite harassment by Israeli navy

Gaza: Looking out into the sea, through the fog, it's almost impossible to know where the warships are.

But ask the fishermen at Gaza port and almost all of them will talk of shelling and gunfire out at sea.These aren't fisherman's tales. For years, Gaza's fishermen have risked their lives eking out a living in a tiny patch of water, under the gun turrets of Israeli sea destroyers.

"Take a look out to sea," says fisherman Sayed Abu Al Khair, pointing to the Mediterranean and to Gaza's water boundary, heavily policed by Israel.

"Can you tell where the border ends? Of course, not. All we can do is just fish and when they shoot at us we turn around."

During the recent Israeli offensive, no one headed outto sea. Warships pounded Gaza Beach for almost three weeks. And just two days after Israel announced its unilateral ceasefire, they were back out in the water in their crudely-made wooden boats.

Still, warships continue to fire warning shots into the sea, close to the fishermen. You can hear the large, dull thuds from Gaza City. The Palestinians say seven have been injured since the war ended.

Dwindling catch

Sitting in his crudely-made wooden boat, about 15 feet-long, Abu Al Khair says it has always been this way.

"I don't want to go back in the water anymore. They announced a ceasefire, but still they harass us. We see the warships when we're fishing, looking back at us. There's nothing in there anyway. We're coming back with no fish."

There's less and less fish in the markets, stocks are low and catches are dwindling. "Sometimes we fight over the water. The Israelis allow us to sail out just three miles. It's like a cage in the sea."

When the Israelis pulled out of Gaza in 2005, fishermen here were allowed to fish in waters 12 miles from shore. But that was unilaterally changed soon after.

"The day Hamas came to power, Israel clamped down on us," recalls 28-year-old fisherman Ayman. "Now we can't even fish along the coastline without the Israelis getting suspicious and shooting at us. The market is dying — there is over fishing, we can't afford petrol for the boats anymore, and we only go out once a day."

Under the 1994 Oslo agreement, fishermen are allowed to fish in a 20 nautical-mile zone. But Israel has accused Hamas of smuggling weapons in boats into Gaza. Now they are only allowed three miles. "Not even an ant can pass through," Ayman says angrily. No weapons are coming from the sea, because – look – it's closed."

Last year, an Israeli human rights group took the Israeli army to court after fisherman complained of being humiliated during a routine check. They said fishermen were forced to strip down to their underwear and made to swim to the Israeli ships.

The recent arrival of a French vessel just off the Gaza Strip is a move designed to prevent arms smuggling. But for fisherman trying to make a living, this means nothing to them.
"Will it stop them from harassing us when we are out at sea?" he asks. "If it does, then let them bring more."