Ramallah/Gaza, Feb 29 (IANS) At least 38 Palestinians were arrested by Israeli security forces on Monday in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, sources said.
The Palestinian Prisoners Club said that the Israeli army arrested 27 Palestinians in raids in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus and Jenin, Xinhua reported.
The Israeli public radio reported that nine of the arrested Palestinians were accused of taking part in violent acts, seven of whom belong to the Islamic Hamas movement.
The Israeli forces seized an M16 assault rifle, a pistol and ammunition during a raid in Hebron in the West Bank.
On the same day, two Palestinians were arrested after infiltrating into southern Israel, through the security barrier with Gaza, reported the radio.
Palestinian fishermen's captain, Nizar Ayyash, said that Israeli naval forces arrested nine fishermen working off the Gaza coasts, after surrounding the boats. All of whom belong to the same family.
The Israeli forces took the fishermen to an Israeli port, Ayyash said.
Israeli naval forces often apprehend and question Palestinian fishermen under the pretext of arms smuggling through the Gaza sea.
Following a cease-fire agreement in August 2014 that ended a 50 days of offensive on Gaza, Israel allowed Palestinian fishermen to sail as far as six nautical miles offshore, and said would expand the allowed area gradually.
