The Israeli army has reduced, Thursday, the fishing zone allotted to the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip to 10 nautical miles.
Zakariya Bakr, the coordinator of the Palestinian Fishermen’s Syndicate of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in Gaza, said the reduction comes less than one day after Israel increased the fishing zone to 15 nautical miles.
He added that the reduction of the fishing zone starts on Thursday morning until further notice.
Israel frequently unilaterally reduces the fishing zone allotted to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, sometimes dropping it to three miles, then six or nine and back to three, an issue that confuses the fishermen and leading to constant assaults by the navy, including the use of live fire against them, leading to many casualties, including fatalities.
Under the Oslo Accords, signed in 1993, Israel is obligated to permit fishing up to 20 nautical miles, but this has never been implemented. Overfishing in a small area over the years has decreased the fish population and depleted fish breeding grounds.
