The Israeli Navy forces opened heavy fire on the boat of three Palestinian fishermen claiming they had crossed the designated fishing zone off the Gaza shores on Sunday, according to Nizar Ayash, head of Gaza Fishermen’s Union.

Their boat was damaged by the wind and swept near the border with Israel, before the Israeli Navy shot fire toward them. One of the fishermen died of severe wounds and the other two were injured.

The Israeli military released a statement saying: “Navy forces fired a boat carrying three Palestinian fishermen as they crossed the designated fishing zone off the Gaza shores”.

“As a result of the shooting, one of the suspects was seriously injured and later died of his wounds, and the other suspects were transferred for treatment and investigation,” the statement reads.

The previous day, Israeli forces arrested two Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources said that Israeli forces seized the fishing boat and arrested the fishermen before pulling their boat to the port of Ashdod.

This attack is yet another violation against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Navy does not allow fishermen to go further than three nautical miles inside the Mediterranean, even though Palestine and Israel have signed an agreement to allow fishermen to go 12 nautical miles. The Navy targets fishermen offshore the Gaza Strip on a daily basis, Wafa News Agency reported.

Israeli forces have also imposed severe restrictions on marine access, fishing exports, and the entry of raw materials into Gaza. The harassment of fishermen is commonplace, which results in a significant decline in Gaza’s fishing industry.

Human Rights Watch reports showed that half of the registered fishermen in Gaza are actually out of work, since their boats are out of commission and cannot be repaired due to the shortage in necessary raw materials.