Israeli navy fires on Gaza fishermen

Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen off Gaza shore. "Three fishing boats sustained minor damage," Nezar Ayash, spokesman for Gaza's fishermen, told Anadolu Agency on Monday. No casualties were reported. Israel allows fishing in a six-mile zone off the Gaza shore. When it first imposed its blockade on the strip in 2006, Israel had specified a three-nautical-mile fishing zone for Palestinian fisherman. Gaza fishermen say the measure has adversely impacted their business, complaining that their annual hauls of fish had since fallen from pre-blockade levels of some 4,000 tons to a current 1,500 tons. Of the Gaza Strip's 1.8 million inhabitants, roughly 40,000 earn their living through fishing, according to the Palestinian Fishermen's Union.