The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture states that Israel has violated the recent ceasefire agreement made with the Palestinians, now allowing Gaza fishermen to sail up to only five nautical miles off the coast.According to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency, the ministry declared, Monday, in a brief statement:
“Israeli warships, this morning, fired on fishing boats when they entered the six miles’ distance, and marked the five-mile limit to warn the fisherman against crossing over it.”
The statement added that this act is yet another violation of the ceasefire deal, signed in late August, between the Palestinian and Israeli factions.
The agreement stipulated that Israel would immediately expand the fishing zone off Gaza’s coast, allowing fishermen to sail as far as six nautical miles off the shore, and would expand the area gradually up to 12 miles.
Prior to this agreement, Israel had maintained a limit of three nautical miles for the fishermen, opening fire at any who dared venture further, despite earlier agreements which had actually settled on a 20-mile limit.
Under the terms of the deal, Israel also agreed to ease its siege on the Gaza Strip.
Al Ray further reports that this violation now marks the third of the ceasefire agreement, as last Tuesday Israeli naval warships fired towards fishermen off the coast of Rafah.
Israeli soldiers opened fire, the following morning, at a number of Palestinian fishing boats close to the shore in the Sudaniyya area, west of Gaza City, and kidnapped two.
