Israel arrests 6 Palestinian fishermen off Gaza coast

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli Navy arrested on Monday six Palestinian fishermen and confiscated two boats, south of the Gaza Strip shores.

“The Israeli navy forces arrested six fishermen and confiscated two boats,” Nizar Ayyash, head of Gaza's fishermen union, told Anadolu Agency.

He added that “the six fishermen were working near the Palestinian-Egyptian maritime borders."

There was no comment from Israeli authorities on the arrest.

However, Israeli media reported earlier that "the Israeli navy stopped two fishing boats off the coast of the Gaza Strip, near the maritime borders with Egypt, confiscated the boats and detained the fishermen onboard, and handed them for investigation."

Israel allows Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip to fish only at a distance of 15 nautical miles.

Roughly 50,000 Gazans earn their living through fishing, according to the fishermen union.

Palestinian fishermen often suffer from multiple Israeli violations, including attempting to sink Palestinian boats in the sea, firing at them, as well as narrowing the fishing area for long periods.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report