Dozens of boats filled with fishermen and foreign activists launched from the Gaza coast on Mar. 3 in a demonstration demanding that Israel cease violations against Gazan fishermen and return their confiscated vessels.

The demonstration was held to pressure the international community to support the fishermen, who are exposed to Israeli attacks on a daily basis, said Muhammad al-Bakri, head of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees. “I don’t understand how these fishermen, who are working extremely hard to support their families, can threaten the security of Israel!” Bakri exclaimed.

Jad Othman, 35, had his boat confiscated two months prior, after the Israeli navy escorted him to the port in Ashdod, some 22 kilometers north of Gaza. Othman was released a day later through the Erez crossing, but his boat was never returned despite Israeli promises not to confiscate it. “The alleged cease-fire Israel is talking about is a media cease-fire, not a real one. Israeli attacks have even doubled after the cease-fire was reached,” Othman said.

An Egyptian-brokered cease-fire was reached in November 2012 between Hamas and Israel, ending an eight-day war that left more than 160 Palestinians dead. Part of the agreement stated that Gazan fishermen would be allowed to travel six nautical miles offshore, instead of three miles as previously allowed.