PCHR weekly report 20/5 - 26/5/2010: more attacks in Beit Lahia

extracts from PCHR weekly report 20/5 - 26/5/2010

Sunday, 23 May 2010 

At approximately 07:20, Israeli gunboats sailing off the beach near the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats. The fishermen were forced to sail back to the beach, and no casualties were reported.

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 

At approximately 05:30, Israeli gunboats stationed off the beach of the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats. Palestinian fishermen were forced to sail back to the beach and no casualties were reported.  

Israeli Gun Boats Open Fire on Palestinian Fishermen

27-5-2010

Al Mezan

At app. 10pm on Thursday 27 May 2010, Israeli gun boats opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats that were actually moored on Rafah beach. No casualties or injuries were reported.

Israeli Gun Boats Open Fire on Palestinian Fishermen west of Beit Lahyia

26-5-2010

Al Mezan

At app. 5:30am on Wednesday 26 May 2010, Israeli naval vessels that patrol the sea opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats in Biet Lahyia in the North Gaza District. No casualties or injuries were reported, but the fishermen were terrified and left the area without finishing their fishing.

Hamas-Egypt tensions high after fisherman death

Gaza – Ma'an – Tensions between Hamas and Egypt resurfaced on Wednesday following the death of a Palestinian fisherman off the coast of Rafah.

The Gaza government said an Egyptian vessel was responsible for Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Bardawil's death

Hamas leader Salah Al-Bardawil said shortly after the incident that "Egyptian boat 94 killed the fisherman, deliberately running him over."

The official said the deceased's son, who was injured in the incident, reported that his father's body was left in the water and not retrieved until he returned to the area. The son further alleges that when he returned to the waters, he was taken by Egyptian soldiers and beaten.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry released a statement saying Egypt allows small boats to fish in Egyptian waters, denying that the fisherman's death was deliberate.

Egyptian security sources told Ma'an that an Egyptian maritime patrol identified a Palestinian fishing boat entering Egyptian waters without turning on its lights. Unable to see the small boat, the patrol crashed into it, the sources said.

A second Palestinian fishing boat was allowed to enter Egyptian waters to retrieve the boat and return it to Palestinian land, the sources added.

Al-Bardawil further said the incident was a "distortion of Egypt's image and requires condemnation from the Egyptians."

Meanwhile, the de facto Interior Ministry said it held Egypt responsible for the fisherman's death and the injury of four others, calling on Egypt's government to investigate.

Al-Bardawil was pronounced dead on arrival at the Abu Yousif An-Najjar Hospital, said Gaza medical official Adham Abu Suleimeh.

In February, Egyptian authorities denied arresting four Gaza fishermen off the southern coast of Rafah.

"Egyptian coast guards deal with Palestinian in a humane way; if they cross into Egyptian territorial water, they are turned away without arrest because of the inhumane circumstances Palestinian fishermen are living under," a senior Egyptian security source told Ma'an at the time.

Palestinian fisherman dies after Egyptian battle cruiser hits his boat

[ 12/05/2010 - 09:48 AM ]

RAFAH, (PIC)-- A Palestinian fisherman died and his brother and two sons were injured when an Egyptian battle cruiser collided with their fishing boat on Wednesday morning. Adham Abu Salama, the media coordinator of the military medical services, told the PIC that Mohammed Al-Bardawil, 44, was killed in the incident. Ihab Al-Ghussain, the interior ministry spokesman, told PIC that the ministry was investigating the incident, adding that eyewitnesses reported that the Egyptian battle cruiser collided with the Palestinian fishing boat. ------- Palestinian killed, 2 injured in boating accident with Egyptian boat Wednesday, 12 May 2010 08:04 Gaza, May 12, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – The fisherman Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Bardawil, 44, was killed and two of his relatives were wounded early Wednesday when an Egyptian boat hit his boat strongly on the sea border between Rafah and Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses from the relatives of the killed fisherman said that he was fishing in his boat which has no engine, when he was shocked by the Egyptian boat directly which wounded him seriously. They added that his head was crushed and his son and another fisherman from his relatives were injured. They said: "The Egyptian naval forces seized during the incident 15 electric motor from the fishermen, 6 fishing nets, in addition to sabotaged fishing nets of the Palestinian fishermen." According to The Director of Emergency Services at Al-Shefa Hospital, Dr. Muawiya Hassanein, Al- Bardawil was transferred to Abu Yousef Al-Najjar Hospital after being critically injured in his head. He was entered to the intensive care, but after a while he was dead. Egypt established a small marina to monitor the maritime border with Gaza.

Egyptian Navy Confiscates Palestinian Fishing Equipment

Tuesday May 11, 2010 01:56 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The Egyptian Navy confiscated fishing equipment owned by Palestinian fishermen after claiming that they crossed into Egyptian territorial waters.

File - rafahtoday.org

The fishermen said that they were violently attacked by the Egyptian Navy.

Fisherman Mohammad Hamdan said that the Egyptian Navy confiscated his equipment estimated by 10.000 USD.

He was fishing along with his two brothers. Hamdan stated that this is the third time Egypt’s Navy confiscates his equipment and that similar attacks were carried out against several other fishermen in the past four months.

There are nearly 350 fishermen in the Gaza Strip, most of them were repeatedly attacked or arrested by the Egyptian Navy in addition to repeated attacks carried out by the Israeli Navy.

PCHR weekly report 29/4 - 5/5/2010: attacks in Beit Lahia

extracts from PCHR weekly report 29/4 - 5/5/2010

Sunday, 02 May 2010

At approximately 09:30, Israeli gunboats off the coast of Beit Lahia beach in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats, forcing them to return to the shore. No casualties were reported.  

Monday, 03 May 2010 

 In the morning, Israeli gunboats off the coast of Beit Lahia beach in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats, forcing them to return to the shore. No casualties were reported. 

Tuesday, 04 May 2010 

 In the morning, Israeli gunboats off the coast of Beit Lahia beach in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats, forcing them to return to the shore. No casualties were reported.