27th July 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza Team | Gaza, Occupied Palestine
Ahmed: “Once I recover I’ll go fishing again…” Ismail (Ahmed’s father): “No, you won’t! That’s enough…”
As Ismail tells ISM, “the occupation establishes the fishing limits according to the season. When there’s fish within 3-6 miles they don’t let us go further than 2-3 miles… even 1’5… When there’s no fish before 7-10 miles they allow us to reach the 6 miles.”
Doctors ordered Ahmed to stay two months in bed. After that they’ll decide if he needs another surgery.
ISM Gaza visited Ahmed Al Sharafi (20 years old) and his father, Ismail Al Sharafi. They explained how, after more than a month without going out to the sea, due to the scarce fish and the huge risk of getting shot and/or kidnapped by the zionist occupation forces, Ahmed tried to convince his father to go out. Finally Ismail accepted, as they didn’t have anything left to feed their 8 member family.
After throwing the nets for hours within the 6 miles limit imposed by the occupation without getting any fish, desperately, they decided to take an even greater risk and go further. When they were around 7 miles, an Israeli warship approached them and, without any prior warning, started shooting live ammunition around their boat. They then were told to stop the engine and to jump to the water. Ismail refused to obey and headed to the shore. At this point the Israeli ship started to make big waves around the small boat in order to overturn it, but failed, so then they started shooting live ammunition against them and their boat.
The engine was hit, as was Ahmed’s back, just a centimeter from the spine. Luckily the engine didn’t stop working, so Ismail could continue running away with his badly injured son lying on the floor of the small boat and leaving behind the expensive and extremely scarce nets.
At this point the zionist soldiers were satisfied and decided to let them go back to the besieged strip of land where they survive. Until they meet again.
Near there, Ahmed’s brother’s boat was also attacked and he was forced as well to leave behind its nets. In 2012 Ahmed and his brother were already kidnapped and their family boat stolen. As Ismail tells ISM, “the occupation establishes the fishing limits according to the season. When there’s fish within 3-6 miles they don’t let us go further than 2-3 miles… even 1’5… When there’s no fish before 7-10 miles they allow us to reach the 6 miles.”
On the same day Ahmed was shot, Youssef Barakat and Haizam Baker were injured with rubber-coated steel bullets, kidnapped, and their boat was stolen.
Haizam explained to ISM that this boat was his brother-in-law’s, as his was already stolen a month before. When they were around 5 miles away from the shore, the zionists approached and shot Haizam a rubber-coated bullet to the head just before shooting the engine, causing it to stop working. Haizam tried to cover the engine with his body, so they wouldn’t shoot it again, but failed. At this point he got shot in his legs with rubber-coated bullets.
Haizam shows the side of his head, where he was shot with the rubber-coated bullet.
After that he was ordered to take off his clothes and stand naked on the front of the boat before being told to jump to the water and swim towards them, despite the injuries. Once in the warship, he was beaten by the soldiers with the butt of their guns and taken to Ashdod.
This boat was feeding 24 persons, who now lost their main source of income.
Haizam’s little sister got burned in a domestic accident. Plastic surgery is not available in Gaza and due to the blockade she is not allowed to go abroad in order to get it.
Israeli Naval forces continued to carry out attacks on Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip during the reporting period (1 – 30 September 2014), including 18 shooting incidents that resulted in the injury of a fishermen while fishing; 4 chasing incidents that led to the arrest of 11 fishermen; and confiscation of 4 fishing boats and 22 pieces of fishing nets belonging to Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli naval forces did not comply with the ceasefire agreement concluded between Israel and Palestinian armed groups under Egyptian auspices on 26 August 2014. This agreement includes allowing Palestinian fishermen to sail within 6 nautical miles in the Gaza Sea. According to PCHR’s investigations, all attacks took place within the distance of 6 nautical miles, which proves that Israeli forces’ policies aim to tighten restrictions on the Gaza Strip’s fishermen and their livelihoods.
Palestinian fishermen work on Jan. 24, 2009 near the border with Egypt (AFP/File, Said Khatib)
Violations of the International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law
Israel’s attacks against Palestinian fishermen, who do not pose any threat to Israeli soldiers, in the Gaza Strip constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, relevant to the protection of the civilian population and respect for its rights, including every person’s right to work, and the right to life, liberty and security of person, as codified in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), despite the fact that Israel is a State Party to the Covenant. Furthermore, these attacks occurred in a time where the fishers did not pose any threat to the Israeli naval troops, as they were doing their job to secure a living. Israeli violations in the reporting period were as follows:
First: Shooting Incidents
During the reporting period, PCHR documented 18 cases in which Israeli forces fired at Palestinian fishermen in the sea off the Gaza Strip shore. As a result, a fisherman was injured.
On 17 September 2014, Israeli forces stationed on watchtowers along the coastal borderline, northwest of al-Sayafa area, north of Beit Lahia, opened fire at a group of fishermen who were near the Access Restricted Area (ARA). As a result, Jom’aah Ahmed Mohammed Zayed (69), from Beit Lahia, was wounded by a bullet to the right leg cutting one of the veins. It should be mentioned that Zayed was standing 200 meters away from the coastal border fence and directing his sons, who were fishing inside the waters. He was taken to Kamal ‘Ewan Hospital in Beit Lahia to receive medical treatment and was then transferred to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City where medical sources described his injury as moderate.
Second: Arrest of Fishermen:
PCHR documented incidents in which Israeli naval forces arrested and chased 11 fishermen while they were sailing within about 1.5 nautical mile off northern Gaza and Gaza City shore.
At approximately 06:30 on 03 September 2014, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats sailing within one nautical mile off Beit Lahia shore in the northern Gaza Strip. An Israeli gunboat surrounded a Palestinian fishing boat boarded by Mohammed Ishaq Mohammed Zayed (18) and Mousa Talal ‘Ata al-Sultan (24), both from al-Salateen neighborhood in Beit Lahia, while sailing around 800 meters inside the waters. The Israeli naval soldiers forced the two fishermen to stop fishing, jump into the water and swim towards the Israeli gunboat. The Israeli soldiers then arrested them and confiscated their boat and pieces of fishing net.
At approximately 05:00 on 09 September 2014, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats. An Israeli gunboat surrounded a Palestinian fishing boat boarded by Tariq and ‘Issam ‘Abdel Bari Mohammed al-Sultan (18) and (21) respectively, both from al-Salateen neighborhood in Beit Lahia, while sailing 1.5 nautical mile off the Beit Lahia shore. The Israeli naval soldiers surrounded the boat and arrested the two fishermen and confiscated their boat and pieces of fishing net.
At approximately 06:30 on 09 September 2014, Israeli gunboats heavily opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats sailing off Beit Lahia shore in the northern Gaza Strip. An Israeli gunboat surrounded a boat boarded by Bahaa’ Yousif Mohammed al-Sultan (25) and Ahmed As’ad Mohammed al-Sultan (22), both from -Salateen neighborhood in Beit Lahia, while sailing 1.5 nautical mile off the Beit Lahia shore. The Israeli naval soldiers arrested the two fishermen and confiscated their boat and pieces of fishing net.
At approximately 15:00 on 22 September 2014, Israeli gunboats opened fire at the Palestinian fishing boats sailing off al-Zahra shore, southwest of Gaza City. The gunboats then surrounded a fishing boat boarded by 5 fishermen from al-Shati refugee camp. The Israeli naval troops forced the five fishermen to stop fishing, jump into the water and swim to the Israeli gunboat. The Israeli naval soldiers then tied the fishermen’s hands and arrested them taking them to Ashdod Seaport. At approximately 08:00 on the next day, the Israeli forces released the fishermen, but kept their boat and fishing equipment in custody. The fishermen were identified as: Sofian Mohyi al-Deen Kollab (47); Mohammed Yousif Abu ‘Odah (24); Mustafa Haidar Abu ‘Odah (25); Ahmed Ziyad al-Sharif (32). and ‘Abdel Rahim Abu Selmiyah (30).
Third: Confiscation of Fishing Boats
During the reporting period, PCHR documented chasing incidents and confiscation of 4 fishing boats and other fishing equipment (pieces of fishing nets).
On 03 September 2014, Israeli gunboats opened fire at a Palestinian fishing boat boarded by two fishermen sailing off al-Waha shore, northwest of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. The Israeli gunboats then surrounded the boat and arrested the two fishermen and confiscated their boat and fishing net.
On 09 September 2014, Israeli gunboats stationed off al-Waha shore, northwest of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats sailing off Beit Lahia shore. The Israeli gunboat surrounded a Palestinian fishing boat boarded by two fishermen. They arrested the fishermen and confiscated their boat and pieces of their fishing net.
On 09 September 2014, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats and then surrounded a fishing boat. The Israeli naval soldiers arrested two fishermen from al-Salateen neighborhood in Beit Lahia and confiscated their boat and pieces of fishing net.
28th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza Team | Gaza, Occupied Palestine
Mahmoud Mohammed Zayed, 25, and his brother Khaled, 24, are two young fishermen of Gaza. At about 9pm on Sunday, May 19th 2013, they were fishing on their small rowing boat in the waters north of the Gaza Strip, in front of the beach of Beit Lahiya. They were arrested after Israeli naval forces attacked fishermen with gunfire, and were taken to the port of Ashdod in Israel. Israeli soldiers confiscated their boat and nets, and released the two fishermen in the morning of the following day, on Monday, May 20th.
We met Khaled Mahmoud and his brother in the office of UAWC (The Union of Agricultural Work Committees), which deals with projects and initiatives to support farmers and fishermen in Gaza and the Occupied Territories. Mahmoud’s face was familiar to me.
As I tried to remember where we had met, he told me he had seen me in an UNRWA school during the military offensive in November 2012, when the Israeli air force launched thousands of leaflets ordering people to leave their homes. Hundreds of families living in the north of the Gaza Strip had been forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in UNRWA schools in Gaza City. Gathered on the floor on mattresses and blankets, they were united in fear. The house of Mahmoud went on to be damaged by bombing.
Yet I remembered seeing Mahmoud on another occasion. Here, in February, 2012, I met another member of his family, Ahmed Zayed, who was also arrested by the Israeli navy while fishing in Northern Gaza waters.
Mahmoud and Khaled (Photo by Rosa Schiano)
And when I think of the fishermen of Beit Lahiya, I cannot forget the face of Abu FahmyRyash, 23 year old fisherman killed on 28th September by an Israeli soldier while he was fishing on the beaches. Killed by expanding dumdum bullets his internal organs had been destroyed. I asked Mahmoud if he had known him. Mahmoud told me that they had often fished together.
And so here are the mixed memories, common experiences that unite us in a deep feeling – a brotherly bond.
So I think of the lives of these people, marked by mourning, from wounds, from everyday resistance, the quest for freedom, the struggle for the right to life.
Mahmoud started to tell us what happened on Sunday: “We went fishing around 5:30pm, with our small rowing boat. We were about half a mile away from the beach of Beit Lahiya, along with other boats. At 9pm two speedboats started attacking us and the other fishermen with shots fired. The attack lasted almost an hour. Then the soldiers came close to our boat, started to turn around us to create waves and they shouted to stop the boat. We replied that we would be back at home. There were 5 men on each boat.We fell into the water, then we got back on board. Khaled was feeling ill. Then two soldiers arrested us.”
Mahmoud explained that usually fishermen are asked to undress, to jump into the water and swim to the Israeli ship. This time the two fishermen were arrested directly from their boat. Once taken to the Israeli ship, the two fishermen were blindfolded, handcuffed, stripped and were given a yellow shirt and blue pants.
“The strange thing – he told Mahmoud – is that the soldiers have asked me why my brother Khaled was with me on the boat. Khaled usually fishes on another boat. But when he finished his work he came with me to help me.” The actions of soldiers help us to understand how they maintain control of the people of Gaza and what excuses they use to arrest fishermen. Soldiers then asked them their name, identity card, the number of boat.
The two fishermen were then taken to the port of Ashdod in Israel. Here the two fishermen were brought inside a room where they were asked for their identification and phone number. A doctor checked the state of their health and visited Khaled who was ill, for whom they gave an injection. “I asked them to remove the handcuffs because I was hurt”, he told Mahmoud, “but they refused.” The two then spent the night in jail, handcuffed.
The next morning, the two fishermen, in handcuffs, had their names put on their shirts and were photographed. Subsequently Mahmoud was questioned. Soldiers showed him a map of Gaza, and asked for information indicating some points on the map, especially in the area of Soudania. Then they asked from what point of Gaza the boats sets sail from, then the soldiers pointed out a police station and a hydraulic pump. Mahmoud asked about his boat, but the soldiers said that to get his boat they should contact a lawyer. Soldiers know very well that the fishermen do not have the money to afford a lawyer and even the costs for standing trial. After interrogation, that lasted 30-40 minutes, Mahmoud was blindfolded again. After another 15 minutes, the soldiers shackled the legs of the fishermen, took them to a police car and had them transported to Erez, where the two fishermen were released with only what they stood up in. The fishermen had just 100 shekels between them, money they had earned in the sale of fish the previous day.
We asked two fishermen what they thought of the new limit of 6 nautical miles imposed by Israel. They explained that it is a good step, but in economic terms there is no change, except for the period of sardine fishery. About eight miles out there is a rocky barrier preventing the entrance of the bigger fish, so anglers need go beyond 8 nautical miles to significantly increase their catch.
Israeli soldiers confiscated the boat of two fishermen and even the nets, which were new. “This boat was the main source of income for us,” said Mahmoud. Both have moved out of their homes and both have a son. They live together with their parents and the rest of the family, which has around 13 members. Their whole family depends on the fishing. Now only his father and his brother can fish with another boat.
We asked Mahmoud if he wants to leave a message to our countries. “We would like to again with our boat. We would like the Israeli navy attacks to cease. We ask the people of countries around the world to force the Israeli government to open up the sea, to let us fish.”
It should be noted that the attack occurred within the 3 nautical miles from the coast. Israel has progressively imposed restrictions on Palestinian fishermen’s access to the sea. The 20 nautical miles established under the agreements of Jericho in 1994 between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), have been reduced to 12 miles below the Bertini Agreement in 2002. In 2006, the area consented to the fishing has been reduced to 6 nautical miles from the coast. Following the Israeli military offensive “Cast Lead” (2008-2009) Israel has imposed a limit of 3 nautical miles from the coast, preventing the Palestinians from access to 85% of the water to which they are entitled according to the Jericho agreements of 1994.
Under the agreements reached between Israel and the Palestinian resistance after the Israeli military offensive in November 2012, “Pillar of Defense,” they consented that Gazan fishermen can again fish to 6 nautical miles from the coast. Despite these agreements, the Israeli navy has not stopped attacks on Gaza fishermen, even within this limit. In March 2013, Israel imposed once again a limit of 3 nautical miles from the coast, saying that the decision had been taken following the sending of some Palestinian rockets towards Israel. On Wednesday 22nd May, the Israeli military authorities announced through some media outlets the decision to extend the limit again to 6 nautical miles from the coast.
We join the call of the fishermen and ask our governments to press Israel to stop attacking and arresting Palestinian fishermen and to allow them to fish freely.
A Palestinian fisherman, Khamis Baker, was injured on Sunday morning when the Israeli navy opened fire on a group of Palestinian fishing boats in the waters of Gaza.
The Khamis family’s home, in Al-Shati camp (“Beach” camp), is poorly lit , the ceiling falls into pieces, and there is no glass on the windows.
Khamis Baker, Gazan fisherman - Photo courtesy of Rosa Schiano, 2012
Khamis has a bandage on his forehead. The doctors sewed his wound with three stitches. A group of children crowded the room during our visit.
“Every day we face difficulties” Khamis began to tell us. ” Every day we face the fire of the Israeli navy which wants to prevent us from fishing. ”
Khamis was on the boat with his 16 year old son and three cousins.
“The previous day I sent my son to the gasoline station, we decided to go fishing on Sunday morning. While we were at sea, the Israeli Navy started to shoot using water cannons. Suddenly my son told me that there was blood on my face, I was wounded.”
“It was a waste of time and gasoline, -Khamis continues, – hours and hours spent at the gasoline station in order to get the fuel.
The Israeli navy ship fired continuously since the morning and it turned quickly around our boats in order to create waves.”
Khamis and the other fishermen were in the “permitted” area, designated by Israel within three nautical miles from the coast. Nonetheless, the soldiers were shouting to them, “Go to the south, go away.”
There were more than twenty fishing boats at sea. But because they could not fish anymore, they all went back to the port.
Khamis has worked for thirty years as a fisherman and has nine children. In the same home live also the families of his relatives, totaling about one hundred people. They all depend on fishing.
I ask Khamis how much they can gain from fishing. “150 shekels,” he answers me which is the equivalent of $40, “but half of it goes to pay the gasoline only. The rest is divided by five, so we gain a maximum of 20 shekels each.”
Khamis tells us that there is no way to fish beyond three miles. The Israeli navy ships arrive quickly. Once their boat overturned and they felt in the sea.
I finally ask Khamis if he feels like sending a message to the international community.
“We demand at least a guarantee for our future, we need to live in safety, we ask at least a guarantee for the security of our children.We do not ask anything, just to end the siege, because the Palestinian people suffer and die because of it. Every fisherman suffers from this situation.”
Khamis is just one of the many fishermen injured by the Israeli navy in the waters of Gaza.Israel regularly attacks the Palestinian fishermen within the limit of three nautical miles and prevents them from fishing by using firearms and water cannons.The restrictions on the fishing area have a significant impact on the subsistence of the fishermen of Gaza. This area should extend for 20 nautical miles according to the Jericho Agreements of 1994 (under the Oslo agreements), but was then reduced to 12 miles, then 6 and finally at 3 miles in January 2009. The “buffer zone” of water imposed by Israel prevents the Gaza fishermen from accessing the 85% of the marine area that the Oslo agreement entitles them to use.
Rosa Schiano is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement.
In the past few days five Gazan fishermen have been arrested by the Israeli Navy off the north coast of Gaza.
Adham Mahmoud Abu Ryada, 22, and his brother Mohammed Mahmoud Abu Ryala, 13, were both arrested on Sunday evening. Jamal Ramadan Al Sultan, 58 and his son Fadel Jamal Al-Sultan, 21, were arrested on Monday morning. Ahmed Mohammed Zayed, 27, was arrested on Tuesday morning.
Adham Mahmoud Abo Ryada, 22 years old, and Mohammed Mahmoud Abo Ryada, 13 years old | Photo courtesy of Rosa Schiano, 2012
Last night we visited the family of Adham and Mohammed Abu Ryada in Beach Camp, Gaza City. Gaza is without power, they welcomed us in a room lit only by candlelight. Their father started telling us their story.
It was 7 PM on Sunday evening when the two boys were gathering their nets from the sea to sail home. A strong wind had pushed the boat over three nautical miles from the coast.
The Israeli Navy came close to their boat and started shooting.
They tried to escape but they couldn’t.
The Israeli soldiers, as they usually do, asked them to undress, to dive into the water and come on board the navy ship.
Once they were on the ship, the soldiers blindfolded them and tied their hands. They could not see anything until they reached the port of Ashdod in Israel, at around 10 or 11 PM.
The soldiers led them into a room where they remained for 30 minutes. Then the soldiers checked their bodies with an electronic device and questioned them.
During interrogation, they asked them questions about the police in the port of Gaza and to “collaborate” with Israel. They also asked if their neighbors were involved in activities against Israel. Adham said he did not know anything.
After the interrogation, the soldiers took them on a bus to a crossing point unknown to them. After an hour and a half they were put on another bus and the soldiers left them at Erez to walk home.
The two brothers slept outside the gate.
Their clothes were thin, they were cold, Adham tried to cover his little brother.
The soldiers on the ship had given them only a couple of t-shirts of very thin cloth.
They did not know which way to go. So they slept till 6.00 AM, and then, in the daylight, they walked to the Palestinian security office. Finally, Adham could contact one of his brothers who came to pick them up.
His young brother, Mohammed, sits with his eyes wide open. He’s telling us that Israeli soldiers asked him, trying to make him afraid, saying, “What will your father tell you when you return without the boat?”
Mohammed says he doesn’t want to work as a fisherman anymore.
“After my experience, I do not want to be a fisherman, I’m afraid. It’s the first time I saw something like that; I will not be a fisherman.”
He has been fishing with his brothers since he was six years old. Mohammed shows a small wound on his left leg, he was injured while climbing onto the Israeli naval vessel.
His father says, “We can’t do anything. We can no longer work. Our life has stopped.”
Eighteen people relied on that boat. The soldiers took everything, nets and fish.
The soldiers told them, “We will call you to return your boat.” But they know that it will never happen.
“We want our nets back, we want to go on fishing and we would like them to let us live,” adds their father.
—
Yesterday we went to Beit Lahia to visit the family of the two other fishermen, arrested on Monday morning, while fishing in the waters north of Gaza.
Ramadan Al Sultan, 58 and Ahmed Mohammed Zayed, 27 | Photos courtesy Rosa Schiano, 2012
Jamal Ramadan Al Sultan is a 58 year old man. His eyes are intensely expressive. With him is also another fisherman arrested on Tuesday morning, Ahmed Mohammed Zayed, 27 years.
In spite of the veil of sadness covering their eyes, they tell us their story with a sense of humor, their strength.
Ahmed starts sharing with us his experience. He was alone on his rowing boat.
He was arrested on Tuesday morning at 6.00 AM. He was collecting his nets on his boat before coming home. An Israeli naval ship approached the vessel and asked him to stop. He tried to escape but the Israeli soldiers started shooting. They hit two floats for his net on his boat. Ahmed stopped.
They asked him to undress and jump into the water. Ahmed refused to jump in the water because he cannot swim well. The soldiers started firing again. He was forced to jump in the water and they threw him a life preserver. Once on the ship, the soldiers tied his hands and blindfolded him. They started moving slowly toward Ashdod. He felt pain in his wrists because they had been handcuffed very tightly. He asked the soldiers to loosen the handcuffs and take the blindfold off. They reached the port of Ashdod and took him into a room where he remained for 30 minutes. Then, they checked his hands with an electronic device and checked his blood pressure. Ahmed was then questioned.
The first question was about his family, the number and names of his brothers. Ahmed forgot to tell the name of the last brother, who was born recently. The soldiers then started accusing him to be a liar, “You’re a liar, what about Youssef? He’s a month old!”
Ahmed replied: “No, he’s two months old.” Then they asked information about his district and the harbor police. One of the people who was questioning him asked, “Do you want me to tell you things?” Implying they already knew everything to intimidate him, those who questioned him already knew all about his family.
Then Ahmed replied: “Why are you asking me if you already know everything?”
“Because I want to know if you are a liar or not,” the interrogator answered.
Then they showed him a large map and started questioning about some areas in Gaza.
They also asked questions about a water treatment plant. Ahmed told them, “That’s a waterworks.”
“No, it’s a waste facility,” they replied.
They continued asking information about the port police in Soudania and about the port office in Gaza. Then, they pointed on the map to the area where he lives. One of the people questioning him pointed to his brother’s shop.
They told him, “Where do you want to go?” and they showed him the spot where his car was parked. Then they asked him if he wanted to go to an area called Birlnaaja, Ahmed replied “I do not know that area.”
Then, they asked for his phone number. Ahmed replied he had lost his phone, but he could tell them his number. Then they asked for his family’s phone numbers. Ahmed said he could not remember the phone numbers of his family members. The person who questioned him told him he was a liar and said, “I want to have your phone number to return the boat back to you.”
Ahmed gave him the number of the phone he had lost. Then, the person who was questioning him called a soldier to take him away and put a blindfold on him. Ahmed said he could not keep the blindfold on because he suffers from an eye problem. The soldier answered, “These are the orders, but I will not tie it too tightly,” then he added “Take care of your wife and your children” and asked Ahmed to become “friends.”
To become “friends” means to provide them with information, to become “collaborators” with Israel. Ahmed said “No, I do not want that”.
He asked him if he was happy.
Ahmed replied, “If you release me now and I lose the boat, I will still be happy without your friendship.”
The person who was questioning then asked him to take a taunting message to the Internal Security of Hamas: “You cannot work with computers now, because you have no electricity”.
Then the soldiers led Ahmed in the same room where he was before. Ahmed told them he was not feeling well. A soldier gave him some mint to drink, then the soldier left Ahmed alone for an hour. Suddenly two men entered the room and asked him to get up. They grabbed him violently and tied his legs with manacles. They asked him to walk with them to the bus. Ahmed could not get on the bus, because his legs were manacled. “I cannot get on” he said. The soldiers replied, “You must get on.” Ahmed was forced to get on the buy by crawling on his knees. On the bus, the soldiers told him to fasten his seatbelt. “I cannot,” replied Ahmed, “my hands are tied.” A soldier fastened his seat belt. Once arrived at Erez, the soldiers delivered Ahmed to a person in a civilian uniform who started making fun of him. “How was the fish today?”, Ahmed replied “You took my boat, now I will go home to sleep with my family.”
The soldiers gave him the papers stating the limit of three miles in the waters of Gaza and the limit at the northern border with Ashdod, telling him to deliver those papers to the other fishermen. At the exit gate they told him to walk looking straight ahead “If you look away we’ll shoot you.”
Then Ahmed began to run. He met some Palestinians and walked with them up to the Palestinian security office. Then he went to the internal security for questioning. After questioning he returned home.
We ask him if he wants to send a message to the international community.
“I ask you to support us to get the boats back. Our life has stopped because it depends on that boat. And I ask for support for the Palestinians every day.”
Ahmed has two sons, 2 and 3 years old.
It is the fourth time he was stopped by Israeli soldiers, “I cannot count how much pain I have received from Israel.” He has worked as a fisherman since he was 13 years old. “This is my work. I will continue to work in the sea,” concludes Ahmed.
—
Finally, Jamal, who was arrested on Monday morning, told us his experience.
Jamal was on a rowing boat with his son, they had the same experience as other fishermen, Israeli soldiers stopped them, asked them to jump into the water and took them to Ashdod. They showed them a map, this time not on paper, but on a computer screen and asked for information. Jamal told us that they offered him drinks and medicines, but he refused, he would not swallow anything he was offered.
Jamal and his son stood 30 minutes in a room, then, they were interrogated.
Then the soldiers took them to Erez where they were subjected to another interrogation. The interrogator asked him about their family and how many sons he had.
Jamal answered that he has 8 sons. The interrogator said him “No, you have 9 sons”. Jamal replied: “No, you killed my son during Cast Lead in a school”.
They started to tell him that his son was a fighter.
Jamal’s son was 27 years old when he was killed with 3 others young men in UNRWA school targeted by a missile, three years ago during Cast Lead.
During Cast Lead a lot of people took refuge in the schools to be safe, but Israel bombed the schools indiscriminately.
The interrogators asked him for information about the Palestinian resistance and the training camps.
Jamal answered he didn’t know. “We know”, they answered him and they asked him about the places from which the resistance fires missiles. “I don’t know”, answered Jamal.
They asked him if he wanted to eat, but he refused. They offered him their “friendship”: “If you have any information you will be happy”. They took him to the gate, he went to the Palestinian security office and he came back home. His son was still at the Hamas Internal Security office to be interrogated.
We asked Jamal if he felt like to send a message to the outside world. He stated
All the fishermen suffer from this situation, we face all these troubles in the sea, we try to feed our families, we try to survive. The international community must support the Palestinian case to stop this siege, because we are under siege in the sea, in the air, and on our land.
Rosa Schiano is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement.
