Israeli naval forces arrest six Palestinian fishermen

Israeli naval forces today, Wednesday, abducted six Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza coast and blew up one fishing boat.

By so doing, Israel has breached the recent truce it reached with the Palestinians for the second time in just over a week. The Egyptian brokered truce followed eight days of Israeli aggression against the beleaguered Gaza Strip.

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The head of the Gaza Fishermen’s Syndication, Nizar Ayyash, has said that, “In a clear breach of the truce, Israeli warships commandeered a boat and abducted the six fishermen on board.” He went on to add, “The boat did not exceed the six mile zone agreed upon in the truce.”

Five fishermen from the Al-Hissi family were arrested and their fishing boat was drawn to the Ashdod Seaport.

Meanwhile, another boat with one fisherman was approached by Israeli warships. The fisherman, who is from the Baker family, was arrested and his boat was blown up.

Observers said that the Israelis first breached the truce when they shot a Palestinian youth to death at the border.

According to the terms of the truce reached last week between the Palestinians and the Israelis, Gaza fishermen have been allowed to go six miles beyond the coast in the waters of the Gaza Sea.

These two incidents were the first time Israeli forces have taken action against Gazan fishermen since last Wednesday’s truce.