Israeli navy arrests 3 fishermen off Gaza coast

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Israeli naval forces on Saturday detained three Palestinian fishermen off the coast of the blockaded Gaza Strip, according to a local official.

Israeli gunboats opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats west of Gaza City and arrested three fishermen, Nizar Ayyash, head of Gaza’s fishermen union, told Anadolu Agency.

The cause of the arrest remains unclear and the Israeli military has yet to issue an official statement.

According to Palestinian figures, roughly 50,000 inhabitants of Gaza earn their living through fishing.

On Friday, the Israeli authorities allowed Gaza fishermen to resume fishing after a week-long hiatus in the wake of military escalation between Israel and Gaza-based resistance factions.

After Israel's 2014 onslaught against the Hamas-run Gaza Strip (in which more than 2,150 Palestinians were killed), Israel began allowing Palestinian fishermen to ply their trade up to six nautical miles off Gaza’s coast before increasing the fishing zone to 12 nautical miles.