Israeli naval boats open fire on Palestinian fishermen off Gaza coast

Israeli naval boats on Thursday opened fire at Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Rafah in southern Gaza, witnesses said.

Fishermen in the boats jumped into the water following the incident, locals told Ma'an.

Gaza health official Ashraf al-Qidra confirmed that the fishermen survived the incident, without providing further details.

Israeli warships also opened fire at a military site formerly used by the Palestinian Authority's national security forces near Rafah.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was looking into the incident.

In the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to a 20-nautical-mile fishing zone off Gaza's coast but it imposed a 3-mile limit for several years, opening fire at fishermen who strayed further.

Israel has controlled Gaza waters since its occupation of the area in 1967, and has kept several warships stationed off the coast since 2008.