INavy deals with daily maritime terror threat
INavy deals with daily maritime terror threatIsrael news photo: IDF

Israeli naval forces shot and wounded Gaza Arab in waters off the northern Gaza coast on Monday after he refused to keep his fishing boat from entering waters under a maritime embargo, which allows fishing up to six nautical miles from the coast.

The wounded man was taken to Israel’s Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon for treatment.

As part of the ceasefire agreement that ended the Pillar of Defense counterterrorist operation against Hamas missile fire, Israel agreed to double the width of the fishing zone, which had been three nautical miles.

The embargo has been in place to prevent the smuggling of terrorists and weapons into Gaza.

Gaza fishermen’s union leader Nizar Aayesh claimed to AFP the boat “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.”

The IDF spokesmen stated, "Earlier this morning during a routine activity, soldiers from the Israeli navy identified a Palestinian vessel which deviated from the designated fishing area.

"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.

In Samaria, Palestinian Authority violence continued. Arabs hurled a firebomb at an Israeli bus, causing no injuries. Last week, dozens of rock-throwing and firebombing attacks were carried out against Jewish motorists in Judea and Samaria, several of them causing heavy property damage and injuries.

One young woman was hospitalized for head injuries after a metal cylinder smashed through the window of the car her husband was driving. She has since been released from the hospital but still suffers from pain and trauma.

Israeli soldiers early Monday morning arrested four Palestinian Authority Arabs near PA headquarters in Ramallah on suspicion of shooting at soldiers.

Unrest in Judea and Samaria has escalated since PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas won non-member status for the PA in the United Nations, a move that violated the moribund Oslo Accords that call for direct negotiations towards defining the borders and character of a future PA country.

Israel responded to the unilateral move by announcing the construction of 3,000 homes for Jews in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.