Israeli forces detain 2 Palestinian fishermen off Gaza coast

Israeli naval forces on Saturday detained two Palestinian fishermen off the northern Gaza coast, local sources said.

The fishing boats were seized and taken to an unknown destination

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

A ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza on August 26, 2014 stipulated that Israel would ease its blockade on the Strip and lighten restrictions on fishermen. However the Israeli side continues to violate the agreed truce, by attacking and arresting Palestinian fishers. 

The occupation forces claim that the naval blockade is aimed at preventing the smuggling of weapons to the Gaza Strip, which has been run by Hamas since 2007.

Source: MENA