Israeli forces on Wednesday arrested three fishermen off the coast of the Rafah beach near the Palestinian-Egyptian border.

Mohammad Ali Sultan, Ismael Ali Sultan and Sami al-Naddi were on a fishing boat when Israeli navy forces detained them and took them to an unknown location, the fisheries directorate of the local agriculture ministry said in a statement.

An Israeli military spokesman told Ma’an that the fishermen deviated from the designated fishing zone and did not respond to calls to return to the area. He said they were detained, questioned by security forces and released.

The ministry said incidents of arrests and abuse of Palestinian fishermen have been on the rise recently, and particularly during the fishing season.

Ma’an News Agency 2005 – 2012