Reports: Egypt detains 4 Palestinian fishermen

Egyptian naval forces detained four Palestinian fishermen early yesterday off the coast of the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian spokesman said.

“An Egyptian gunboat attacked a Palestinian fishing boat off the southern Rafah city,” Nizar Ayyash, head of the Gaza Fishermen’s Union, told the Anadolu Agency.

He said four Palestinian fishermen had been detained by Egyptian forces.

Egyptian authorities have yet to comment on the report.

Egypt has tightened security along its border with the blockaded Gaza Strip since the ouster, by the military, of elected President Mohamed Morsi in mid-2013.

Home to 1.9 million Palestinians, the Gaza Strip has been reeling under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007.