Israel kidnaps 2 fishermen off Gaza shore

Ma’an – Israeli forces arrested two fishermen off Gaza's shore Thursday, witnesses said.

Tamer Mohammad Zayed, 17, and Ammar As'ad As-Sultan, 18, were detained by Israeli naval forces while they were fishing off the coast of Beit Lahia, onlookers said.

An Israeli military spokesman said the boat was operating beyond the permitted area, and Israeli forces ordered the boat to stop before detaining the teenagers, who were taken to Ashdod for southern Israel for questioning.

Under Israeli restrictions fishermen in Gaza are not permitted to fish more than three nautical miles from the shore. As most fish are beyond this range, fishermen are forced to risk their lives for their livelihoods, and the once-thriving fishing industry has been destroyed.

A recent Red Cross report found that nearly 90% of Gaza's 4000 fishermen are now considered either poor (with a monthly income of between 100 and 190 US dollars) or very poor (earning less than 100 dollars a month), noting that "in their struggle to survive, the fishermen have little choice but to sail into no-go zones, at the risk of being shot by the Israeli navy."

Nezar Ayyash, who heads Gaza's fishermen's union, told the Red Cross, "I have already been arrested and my boat has been confiscated several times. But this is our life here. We know that fishing can cost us our lives, but we have no other choice but to go out with our boats: we need to feed our families."