Israel Arrests Two Gaza Fishermen

The Israeli army on Thursday arrested two Palestinian fishermen off the coast of the Gaza Strip.



Abdel Bari al-Sultan, 20, and Hammouda Ali, 16, were both detained while fishing off the coast of the northern Gaza Strip, Nezar Ayash, spokesman for Gaza's fishermen, told Anadolu Agency.



There was no comment from the Israeli army.



Israel allows fishing up to six miles off the Gaza coast.



When it first imposed its blockade on the strip in 2006, Israel had allowed a three-nautical-mile fishing zone for Palestinian fisherman.



Gaza fishermen say the measures have adversely impacted their business. They complain that their annual hauls have since fallen from pre-blockade levels of some 4000 tons of fish to a current 1500 tons.



Of the Gaza Strip's roughly 1.8 million inhabitants, about 40,000 earn their living by fishing, according to the Palestinian Fishermen's Union.



By Ola Atallah



englishnews@aa.com.tr - Gazze