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by IMEMC News & Agencies

Israel's navy, on Thursday, detained five Palestinian fishermen off the northern Gaza Strip, witnesses told Ma'an New Agency.

Israeli naval forces stopped a fishing boat belonging to the Bakr family near al-Sudaniyya and abducted five people.

The detainees were taken to an unknown location and their boat was confiscated.

A day earlier, four fishermen were detained off the coast of Gaza City and their two fishing boats confiscated. In a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas last summer, Israel agreed to expand the fishing zone off Gaza's coast, allowing fishermen to sail as far as six nautical miles from shore and to continue to expand the area gradually, however fishermen are routinely stopped within the zone.

Three Palestinian fishermen have been shot dead by Israeli forces since September.

Risk of death or detention by Israeli forces is compounded by ongoing harassment and interference with their work from Israeli naval forces who frequently confiscate boats and fishing materials.