Mohammed Mar'i Saudi Gazette RAMALLAH – Israeli naval forces shot and wounded a Palestinian fisherman in waters off the northern Gaza Strip Monday, sources on both sides said. Nizar Aayesh, head of the Gaza fishermen's union, said the man was wounded when navy gunfire hit his boat after which he was taken to a hospital in the southern Israeli port city of Ashkelon. “There was a shooting toward a Palestinian fishing boat in the sea off northern Gaza. One fisherman was injured and the occupation's navy took him to Barzilai hospital,” he said. Under terms of Israel's naval blockade on Gaza, Palestinian boats are permitted to fish within waters up to six nautical miles from the coast. The fishing zone was extended from three nautical miles after a November 21 truce deal ended an eight-day confrontation between Israel and Hamas. “It was within the six nautical mile limit, but the Israeli vessels took the boat and whoever was on it and we are waiting for the fisherman to come back to know more details,” Aayesh said. The military confirmed the incident but insisted the boat was beyond the permitted fishing limit. “Earlier this morning during a routine activity, soldiers from the Israeli navy identified a Palestinian vessel which deviated from the designated fishing area,” a spokesman said, indicating the boat had failed to respond to orders to stop. “The soldiers fired in order to halt the vessel,” he said, confirming one Palestinian “was injured by shrapnel” and had been treated by soldiers before being transferred to an Israeli hospital.” Meanwhile, troops in the northern West Bank arrested 13 Palestinians in the governorates of Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem and Hebron. Sources said that four Palestinians, including a wounded resident, were arrested following clashes that erupted between Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers in the village of Beir Reema, to the northwest of Ramallah, early Monday. The sources identified the causality as Aziz Al-Rimawi. He was evacuated to Tel Hashomer hospital in Israel for treatment. The Palestinian sources said that the Israeli soldiers thoroughly searched the houses of the residents before arresting them. They were taken to unknown locations for questioning by agents of Shin Bet, the Israeli internal intelligence. – With agencies
