Gaza City, September 11 (RHC)-- The Israeli navy has opened fire on a group of Palestinian fishing boats that sailed off the shore of Gaza to break the years-long siege on the coastal enclave.

The incident took place on Monday after some 55 boats set sail from the Gaza port in the northern Gaza Strip and headed towards the nearest point of the sea border with the occupied territories to challenge the Israeli blockade.

çDozens of Palestinians also clashed with Israeli forces on the Gaza beach, prompting the Tel Aviv regime’s troops to fire a barrage of tear gas to disperse the Palestinians.

Palestinian Health Ministry reported that at least 49 Palestinians sustained gunshot wounds during the violence or suffered respiratory problems due to inhalation of tear gas.  Among the injured was Palestinian reporter, Atieh Hejazi, who was covering the event for Iran's Arabic-language Al Alam television news network.

çThe Gaza Strip has been under an inhumane Israeli siege since 2007 and witnessed three wars since 2008.  The blockade has also caused a decline in living standards as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment and poverty.

Tensions have been running high near the Gaza fence since March 30, which marked the start of a series of protests, dubbed “The Great March of Return.”  Palestinian protesters are demanding the right to return for those driven out of their homeland.  In these protests, Israeli fire has so far taken the lives of more than 170 Palestinians since March 30th.

The Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14, the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided this year with the U.S. embassy relocation from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem.