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forces on Sunday opened fire on the who were sailing off the coast of Rafah, in the south of the besieged coastal enclave, Palestinian sources have said.

Israeli navy fired live bullets and water cannons towards Palestinian fishermen, preventingÌýthem from fishing and forcingÌýthem to return to the shore,Ìýsources told °®Âþµº.

Zakaria Baker, an official from the fishers' committees in the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in the Gaza Strip, told °®Âþµº that Israeli forces continue toÌýprovokeÌýPalestinian fishermenÌýby ongoing attacks.

"Everyday, the fishermenÌýhave to deal with aÌýchallengeÌýwhile inÌýthe sea. Israeli forces used to arrest them, damage their boats andÌýshoot at them," he said.

These measures hindered the work of fishermen and prevented them from fishing freely to provide for their families.

Since 2007, the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians, has been put under a tight Israeli blockade after Hamas won the 2006 legislative elections.

Israel banned the entry of severalÌýmaterials, which it claimed were used for making weapons. Among them were boats, fibreglass, nets, and other essential fishing materials.

According to the Fishermen's Syndicate in the Gaza Strip, some 4,000 Palestinian fishermen live in the besieged enclave. At the same time, approximately 40,000 Gazans work in professions directly or indirectly related to fishing.

Meanwhile, locals said that Israeli forces fired at Palestinian farmers on agricultural lands east of Qarara, north of Khan Yunis city in the coastal enclave's south. No injuries were reported.

From time to time, Israeli forces stationed in the eastern fence of the coastal enclave open fires towards the Palestinian farmers to prevent them from reaching their lands.