A group of Palestinian fishing boats that sailed off the shore of Gaza to challenge an Israeli naval blockade of the coastal enclave drew warning shots from the Israeli navy on Saturday (August 11), the boats' organizers said.
About 20 fishing boats set sail from Gaza City port toward the maritime border with Israel. The Gaza Health Ministry said there were no casualties reported.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said the navy gave the boats verbal warnings before firing in to the air.
Palestinian witnesses said some of those on board set tires alight and set them afloat toward the maritime border before they were confronted by four Israeli naval vessels.
Israel says its naval blockade of Gaza is intended to prevent weapons from reaching militant groups, including Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Palestinian enclave. Israel and the West designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.
More than two million Palestinians are packed into the Gaza Strip, which suffers deep economic hardship.
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