The Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and Ex-detainees of the dissolved government in Gaza reported that Israeli security forces are blackmailing Palestinian fishermen and demanding them to work as collaborators in return for being allowed to fish.
Riyadh Al Aqshqar, head of the Ministry’s media department, commented on initial intelligence information which revealed that the Israeli Navy is blackmailing the fishermen, attempting to link allowing them to fish in Palestinian territorial waters with their Israeli security services co-operation.
Al Ashqar stated that the Occupation is using the fishermen’s need to fish and feed their families to try to force them to collaborate and provide information about the resistance.
The Ministry stated that the Israeli Navy had escalated its attacks against the fishermen, opening fire on them and their boats, arresting and interrogating several fishermen on claimed involvement in smuggling weapons.
The Ministry has demanded of international human rights organizations to intervene and hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the fishermen.
Al Ashqar stated that the occupation uses the same technique in intimidating child detainees, offering to release them if they become collaborators.
He said that 90% of detained children were asked to collaborate with the Occupation in exchange for their release or even for stopping their torture.
On Wednesday, Israel released ten fishermen who were kidnapped by the Navy on Monday evening. The navy took over the fishermen’s boats after opening fire at them near the Beit Lahia shore, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
