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Israel Briefly Detains 4 Palestinian Fishermen off Gaza Coast

Palestinian fishermen riding on a boat make their way back after Israel restricted Palestinian fishing zone in response to Palestinian rockets, at the seaport of Gaza City April 26, 2021. (Reuters)
Palestinian fishermen riding on a boat make their way back after Israel restricted Palestinian fishing zone in response to Palestinian rockets, at the seaport of Gaza City April 26, 2021. (Reuters)
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Israel Briefly Detains 4 Palestinian Fishermen off Gaza Coast

Palestinian fishermen riding on a boat make their way back after Israel restricted Palestinian fishing zone in response to Palestinian rockets, at the seaport of Gaza City April 26, 2021. (Reuters)
Palestinian fishermen riding on a boat make their way back after Israel restricted Palestinian fishing zone in response to Palestinian rockets, at the seaport of Gaza City April 26, 2021. (Reuters)

Israel briefly detained four Palestinian fishermen off the Mediterranean coast of Gaza on Saturday, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.

The Israeli military said it apprehended four suspects after two Palestinian vessels strayed from the designated fishing zone in the northern Gaza Strip, "violating security restrictions". The navy fired at the boats when they failed to respond to instructions to halt, it added.

The secretary of the Gaza fishermen's syndicate, Nizar Ayyash, told Reuters there were at least three Israeli attacks on Gaza fishermen on Saturday -- all within the permitted fishing area.

In one of the incidents, he said, Israeli forces fired rubber bullets at a boat, wounding two of the four people aboard who were later hospitalized. In another, they seized a small boat after detaining the two fishermen on board, he added.

"We have recorded several violations against fishermen within the permitted fishing zone in the past weeks," said Ayyash.

Fishing is one of the biggest industries in the coastal enclave, home to some 2.3 million Palestinians.

Citing security concerns, Israel maintains a land, air and sea blockade of Gaza, which is governed by the Hamas movement. Boats are not allowed to stray beyond a fixed limit to the north towards Israel.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.