DaysofPal — Israeli naval forces arrested nine Palestinian fishermen on Tuesday morning after attacking their fishing boats while they were working off the coast of the Gaza Strip.
The Fishermen Committees said in a brief statement that the fishermen were detained at sea near Deir al-Balah and Gaza City.
The detainees were identified as Raed Mohammad Abu Riala, Ayman Bahjat Abu Ouda, Mohammad Jihad Al-Soufi, Mahmoud Ismail Hajhouh, Zuhair Ahmad Al-Qaraan, brothers Nimr, Diaa, and Jumaa Mazen Al-Qaraan, and Ramadan Shaaban Abu Omar.
Zakaria Bakr, coordinator of Gaza’s Fishermen Committees, said Israeli warships attacked several fishing boats operating offshore in two separate incidents west of Deir al-Balah and Gaza City.
According to Bakr, the naval attacks involved heavy gunfire and pursuit operations as part of ongoing restrictions targeting Gaza’s fishing sector, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of families who depend directly on fishing amid worsening humanitarian conditions.
Bakr also warned that an illumination boat had gone missing at sea, suggesting Israeli naval forces may have deliberately blown it up, further increasing dangers facing fishermen and deepening their financial losses.
On June 7, a Palestinian fisherman was killed and another injured, while Israeli naval forces arrested four fishermen in separate incidents off the coasts of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in central and southern Gaza.
Bakr previously described the attacks against fishermen as “a full-fledged war crime” requiring urgent international action.
He called on international organizations, human rights groups, and the United Nations to launch immediate investigations, provide international protection for fishermen, and support the reconstruction of Gaza’s fishing sector.
According to Bakr, around 5,000 registered fishermen in Gaza support more than 50,000 family members, many of whom have lost their only source of income due to the blockade, restrictions on equipment imports, and deteriorating living conditions that have worsened poverty and food insecurity across the Strip.
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