Palestinian fishermen try to put out fire on a boat at the Gaza city port after being hit by an Israeli shell, August 31, 2009. [Xinhua]

Palestinian fishermen try to put out fire on a boat at the Gaza city port after being hit by an Israeli shell, August 31, 2009. [Xinhua]

Israeli navy set fire to a Palestinian fishing boat off Gaza shore on Monday morning, injuring a fisherman, Palestinian sources and witnesses said.

The fire was caused by a shell fired by an Israeli gunboat, the sources said.

Hamas ministry of agriculture said the fisherman was moderately burned and his colleagues succeeded in taking him out to the hospital.

The boat, which was badly burnt, has been pulled to a fishing port in Gaza city.

On Thursday, a Palestinian fisherman was killed when the Israeli navy ships hit his boat also in southern Gaza Strip.

Israel does not allow the Palestinian boats to sail farther than two nautical miles (3.7 km) away from the shore though deals between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) set the fishing area up to 20 nautical miles.

(Xinhua News Agency September 1, 2009)