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GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Israeli naval forces detained four Palestinian fishermen off the coast of the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to the union of Gaza fishermen.

Nizar Ayyash, a spokesperson for the union, told Ma’an that Israeli naval ships obstructed a fishing boat sailing off the coast and detained four fishermen who were on board. He identified them as Bayan Bakr, Omar Yahya Bakr, Muhammad Yousif Bakr, and Muhammad Munir Bakr.
An Israeli army spokesperson said she was looking into the report.

Israeli forces regularly detain Palestinian fisherman off the coast of Gaza working within the fishing zone, generally for alleged security reasons.

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Israeli forces detained 71 fishermen and confiscated 22 fishing boats throughout 2015.
The center said that Israeli naval forces also opened fire on Palestinian fishermen at least 139 times over the course of the year, wounding 24 and damaging 16 fishing boats.

"These attacks occurred in a time where the fishers did not pose any threat to the Israeli naval troops, as they were doing their job to secure a living," the center said.