GAZA CITY

The Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip decided Sunday to close down the port of the blockaded Palestinian territory to mourn Saturday's killing of a fisherman by Israel's navy.

The ministry said in a statement that the port closure would last for three days in solidarity with Gaza's fishermen.

It added that the closure also aimed to protest violations committed by the navy of the self-proclaimed Jewish state against the fishermen of the Gaza Strip.

On Saturday, a 34-year-old fisherman died of wounds he sustained when Israel's navy opened fire on fishing boats off the coast of Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The Israeli army claimed that the targeted boats had gone beyond the six nautical miles specified for fishing activities off the coast of the Gaza Strip, the head of Gaza's fishermen's union Nizar Ayyash said.

The Israeli navy routinely opens fire on Palestinian fishing boats on the pretext that they are fishing in unauthorized waters.

Last summer, Israel allowed Palestinian fishermen to ply their trade up to six nautical miles off the Gaza coast – as opposed to three miles previously.

A cease-fire reached in August between Israel and Palestinian factions ended 51 days of relentless Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, which killed over 2,160 Palestinians, mostly civilians.

Ever since Hamas – which Israel deems a "terrorist" organization – won the 2006 Palestinian legislative polls, the self-proclaimed Jewish state has imposed a tight land and sea blockade on the coastal strip.