GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL

Israeli naval forces detained five Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Gaza City on Tuesday, a local group said.

Israeli gunboats opened fire on fishing boats west of Gaza Port, forcing fishermen to jump into the water without their clothes before being bound and arrested, Zakaria Bakr of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, a nongovernmental organization, said in a statement.

Four of the detainees are from the same family, including three brothers, he added.

Israel continues to ban fishing in Gaza’s waters despite a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which took effect Oct. 10. Naval forces have kept pursuing and arresting fishermen, cutting off their only source of income amid a collapsing economy in the enclave.

Despite the risks, Gazan fishermen continue to venture out to sea to provide for their families amid the collapse of the local economy and severe unemployment.

According to World Bank data, Israel’s two-year war on Gaza has pushed nearly all residents of the enclave into poverty, leaving them entirely dependent on humanitarian aid.

Phase one of the ceasefire deal included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a partial Israeli withdrawal. The plan also envisages rebuilding Gaza and establishing a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Since October 2023, the Israeli genocidal war has killed nearly 69,000 people and injured more than 170,600 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.