Israeli naval forces detain 7 Gazan fishermen, confiscate boat: Palestinian official

Gaza: An Israeli army naval force on Monday morning arrested seven Palestinian fishermen off the northern coast of the Gaza Strip and confiscated their fishing boat, a Palestinian official said.

The seven fishermen were taken to the Israeli seaport of Ashdod, said Nizar Ayyash, head of the fishermen union in Gaza.

Ayyash condemned the Israeli naval forces and called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop its “harassment” against the fishermen in Gaza.

Israel has not commented on the incident, but its army used to allege the Palestinian fishermen were detained for overstepping the allowed fishing zone.

On Sunday, Gazan fishermen threatened to suspend fishing for days until the naval authorities run by Hamas meet their demands.

“Fishermen are often chased and arrested by the maritime police, and they are forced to fish on limited dates and time,” said Zakaria Baker, an official of the fishermen’s committees in the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in the Gaza Strip, adding such measures have prevented them from fishing freely and raising the family.

Some 4,000 Palestinian fishermen live in the besieged Gaza Strip, according to the Fishermen’s Syndicate in Gaza. Meanwhile, approximately 40,000 Gazans work in professions related to fishing.

The Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million, has been under a tight Israeli blockade since the summer of 2007, when Hamas seized control of the coastal Palestinian enclave after weeks of fighting with President Mahmoud Abbas’ security forces.

Source: Xinhua