Israel restricts Gaza fishing zone after balloons torch southern Israel
IDF cuts down Gaza fishing zone from 15 nautical miles to 10, just one day after they expanded it.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFThe sun rises as fishermen are seen at the seaport of Gaza City, April 2, 2019(photo credit: SUHAIB SALEM/REUTERS)
The IDF announced on Wednesday that it had limited the Gaza fishing zone to 10 nautical miles, one day after it had expanded the space to 15, according to the Coordinator of Government Affairs in the Territories (COGAT).The change followed violence on the southern border. Some 11 fires were lit in southern Israel by incendiary balloons launched from the Gaza Strip.The sea of Gaza, one of the few sources of income available to those living under the control of the Hamas terrorist group, is one of the means by which Israel attempts to achieve a balance between security and humanitarian concern.The allowed fishing zone was reduced to six nautical miles in April after Islamic Jihad fired a missile on Israel. The range of 28 nautical miles had not been an option to the fishermen of Gaza since second intifada, which launched in 2000.Tovah Lazaroff and Anna Ahronheim contributed to this article.
