Two Palestinian fishermen were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation navy on Thursday as they sailed off Gaza’s northern seashore.

Local activist Zakaria Bakr said Israeli gunboats chased down Palestinian fishing boats west of al-Waha coast north of the besieged Gaza Strip as they sat sail within the authorized three-nautical-mile zone.

The occupation navy targeted fishermen with machine gunfire. Fires broke out in a vessel as a result.

The Israeli navy seized the boat and arrested two fishermen onboard.

The two arrestees are identified as brothers Mahmoud and Mohamed Eshkontana.

Almost on a daily basis Israeli naval boats open fire on Palestinian fishermen sailing offshore the coasts of the besieged Gaza Strip a blatant violation of a ceasefire deal reached between Hamas and Israel following hostilities in the summer of 2014.

The ceasefire deal stipulated that Israel would immediately ease the blockade imposed on the strip and expand the fishing zone off Gaza’s coast.

The Israeli occupation navy on Thursday kidnapped Palestinian fishermen off Gaza’s northern seashore.

Head of Gaza’s Fishermen Union Nizar Ayyash said Sameh al-Kouka and Shawki Bakr were kidnapped by the Israeli navy while setting sail off Gaza’s northern waters.

The occupation navy seized the fishermen’s vessel.

Ayyash called on the international community and Palestinian consensus government to take urgent action over Israel’s arbitrary abduction of Gaza’s fishermen.

In 2016 at least 125 Palestinian fishermen were kidnapped by the Israeli navy three among them after they were shot with bullet fire. Two fishermen were killed by the occupation navy including one of them whose body has not been recovered.

Two Palestinian fishermen were kidnapped by the Israeli navy off Gaza seashore at daybreak Thursday.

Head of Gaza’s Fishermen Union Nizar Ayyash said the Israeli navy kidnapped two fishermen—Khader al-Sa’idi and Rajab Abu Rayala—while they were sailing off Gaza waters.

Both fishermen are residents of al-Shati Camp west of Gaza city.

The Israeli navy further seized the fishermen’s vessels and fishing equipment before they took them to an unidentified destination.

Two Palestinian fishermen were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation navy on Monday morning off Gaza seashore.

A PIC news correspondent said Israeli navy gunboats opened heavy machinegun fire on Palestinian fishermen sailing off western Beit Lahiya shoreline before they kidnapped the two fishermen and seized their boat.

The arrestees were identified as Ourans al-Sultan and Mohamed al-Sultan.