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GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces detained nine fishermen off Gaza's north coast on Wednesday, a local official said.

The head of Gaza's fishing association, Mahfouth al-Kabriti, told Ma'an that Israel's navy opened fire at two Palestinian fishing boats six miles off the coast.

The navy then seized both boats and detained nine fishermen, al-Kabriti added. The boats belong to Murad al-Hassi and the Baker family.

An Israeli army spokesman said that two fishing boats deviated from the designated fishing area and after failing to respond to calls to stop, were apprehended by Israel's navy.

The passengers were taken for questioning in the Israeli city of Ashdod, he added.

As part of a ceasefire to end Israel's recent eight-day war on Gaza, Israel agreed to allow fishermen to sail six nautical miles off the coast of Gaza instead of three, which had been the limit under Israel's siege

In the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to a 20-nautical-mile fishing zone off Gaza's coast but it has imposed a 3-mile limit for several years, opening fire at fishermen who strayed further.

Israel has controlled Gaza waters since its occupation of the area in 1967, and has kept several warships stationed off the coast since 2008.

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By Reuters

The Israel Navy on Wednesday detained a group of fisherman from the Gaza Strip, saying they had gone beyond a recently expanded fishing zone off the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian enclave.

Fishermen on two boats were detained and taken to Israel's Mediterranean port of Ashdod for questioning, an Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman said. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza said nine men had been seized and at least one vessel sunk.

Eight days of Israeli air strikes on Gaza and cross-border Palestinian rocket attacks ended in an Egyptian-brokered truce agreement a week ago that called on Israel to ease restrictions on the territory.

Israel has since doubled to six miles (10 km) the distance it permits Gaza fishermen to operate off the coast. It also has allowed Gaza farmers to tend land next to a border fence, in a "no-go" area where they had been barred for years.

Israel says its naval blockade is aimed at preventing the smuggling of weapons to militants in the Gaza Strip, which has been run by Hamas Islamists since 2007.