The Israeli navy detained 10 Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Gaza early on Tuesday, with seven later released after field questioning and three remaining unaccounted for, according to Palestinian fishermen’s representatives.

The fishermen were detained while working off the coast of the Zawayda area in central Gaza and Sheikh Ajlin, southwest of Gaza City. The Union of Fishermen’s Committees said Israeli forces opened fire at their boats before taking them into custody.

The fishermen were identified by local sources as Muhammad Yasser al-Aqra, Marwan Hatem al-Aqra, Baraa Adel Abu Riyala, Muhammad Atef Abu Riyala, Muhammad Nafeth Salah, Zuhdi Nafeth Salah, Arafat Yasser Salah, Awad Sultan al-Minawi, Muhammad Ahmad Abdullah and Mohannad Hassan Murad.

WAFA, citing the Union of Fishermen’s Committees, initially reported that all 10 had been transferred to Ashdod port. A later report by Al-Modon, quoting the head of the fishermen’s committees, Zakaria Bakr, said seven were subjected to field questioning and released after about five hours, while three others were taken to an undisclosed location. The report also alleged that the seven released fishermen were beaten during their detention.

The arrests came a day after five other fishermen were injured by Israeli naval gunfire off Gaza City, according to WAFA. Eyewitnesses told the agency that Israeli warships opened fire on fishing boats, while the Palestinian Red Crescent said three of the injured were taken to Al-Saraya Field Hospital and two to Al-Shifa Hospital.

Fishing remains an important source of food and income in Gaza, but access to the Mediterranean has long been restricted. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said sailing restrictions in 2022 limited fishermen to between six and 15 nautical miles offshore in different areas, while the transport of fish to other parts of the occupied Palestinian territory was also intermittently restricted.

The latest arrests add to a long record of confrontations between Israeli naval forces and Gaza’s fishing community. In July 2023, four fishermen were detained after their boat was surrounded and seized off Gaza City and they were taken to Ashdod, according to The New Arab.

As of the latest report consulted on Tuesday, the whereabouts of the three fishermen who were not released remained unclear.