Jerusalem, February 13: Egyptian naval forces have arrested four Palestinian fishermen off the coast of the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian security official and witnesses said on Saturday.
The four were detained Friday evening off the town of Rafah in southern Gaza, said an official with the Hamas-run security forces. No further details were given.
Witnesses said the fishermen apparently strayed into Egyptian waters.
There was no immediate comment from Egypt.
In an attempt to prevent weapons smuggling, Israel and Egypt have blockaded the Gaza Strip since the Islamist Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in June 2007, ousting the forces of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
In recent months, under Israeli and US pressure, Egypt has stepped up its efforts, and is constructing an underground wall to foil smuggling tunnels and has bolstered its naval forces.
Israel, which controls access to the territory by sea and air, reduced the fishing area, which was 20 nautical miles (37 kilometres) under the 1993 Oslo accords, to just 3 nautical miles (about 5.5 kilometres) today.
Before the embargo, some 3,500 fishermen made a living along Gaza’s 40 kilometre coastline.
–Agencies