A Palestinian from the Gaza Strip was killed and two others were wounded on Sunday after the boat in which they were traveling breached the limits of the authorized fishing zone and was fired upon by an Israeli Navy patrol, an IDF spokeswoman said.
She stressed that the navy opened fire only after the boat's occupants ignored warnings and strayed towards Israel from the permitted fishing area in the northern Gaza Strip. One of the men was seriously wounded and later died. The two other men were detained for interrogation.
"Naval forces called on the suspects to stop, and when they did not comply, warning shots were fired into the air. Upon their continued advance, shots were fired towards the vessel. Subsequently, one of the suspects was severely injured and he later succumbed to his wounds. The other two suspects were handed to security forces for interrogation," the spokeswoman said.
But the Gaza fishermen's union said the boat was targeted as it was making its way back to Gaza. Union secretary Nizar Ayyash said in a statement that the men did not violate the limit.
The Gaza Fisherman's Union identified the three men as Mahmoud Adel Abu Riala, 18, Ismail Salah Abu Riala, 18, and Ahed Hassan Abu Ali, 26. The union called for a two-day strike to protest the incident.
Israel maintains a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Hamas terrorist group. The Israeli Navy patrols the waters to stop arms from being smuggled into the enclave and to stop terrorists from trying to attack or infiltrate Israel from the sea.
"Israeli forces targeted a Palestinian fishing boat that was on the way back to Gaza's shore, which led to the death of one fisherman and wounding of two others," the fishermen's union said.
Fishing is one of the biggest industries in the Gaza Strip. Boats are not allowed to pass beyond a fixed limit in the north towards Israeli waters. Egypt keeps similar limitations to the southwest. Israel restricts fishing to a seasonally adjusted zone of between six and nine nautical miles.
Over the past two years, Israel has detained dozens of Gaza fishermen who have strayed beyond the border, a senior naval commander said.
A similar incident occurred last month when the Egyptian navy opened fire on a Palestinian fisherman at sea, killing him.
