Israeli Forces Detain 2 Palestinian Fishermen Off Gaza Coast

Gaza City, 1 Rajab 1437/ 8 April 2016 (MINA) –  Israeli naval forces on Thursday detained two Palestinian fishermen off the Gazan coast for allegedly heading beyond the designated nine-nautical-mile fishing zone.

Amjad al-Sharafi, an official with the fishermen’s union, told Ma’an that Israeli boats detained the fishermen, identified as Iyad Allun and Raed Abu Odeh, off the coast of Khan Younis and left their boat drifting at sea before it was towed back to shore by other fishermen.

Israeli forces regularly detain Palestinian fisherman off the coast of Gaza claiming they went beyond the designated fishing zone, which was recently extended from six to nine nautical miles.

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Israeli forces detained 71 fishermen and confiscated 22 fishing boats throughout 2015.

The center said that Israeli naval forces also opened fire on Palestinian fishermen at least 139 times over the course of the year, wounding 24 and damaging 16 fishing boats.

“These attacks occurred in a time where the fishers did not pose any threat to the Israeli naval troops, as they were doing their job to secure a living,” the center said. (T/hna/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)