Gaza fishermen will be able to sail further and catch more fish as the new IDF regulation is upheld.
By HAGAY HACOHENUpdated: OCTOBER 18, 2017 07:40Palestinian fishermen ride their boats as they return from fishing at the seaport of Gaza City(photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMMED SALEM)
The IDF agreed to expand the range of the fishing waters Gazan fishermen can safely sail in from six nautical miles to nine, the IDF spokesperson unit stated on Tuesday.Starting from Wednesday, Gaza fishermen will be able to sail further than before in order to fish. This new regulation will be upheld during the two months of the fishing season, aiding the second most important trade in Gaza to expand.In May and June, previous expansions of the fishing range created hundreds of new jobs for Gazans in the fishing industry, and Gaza was able to sell over 21 tons of fish to overseas markets and the West Bank.The Gazan union of Fishermen and the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture were involved in the negotiation process with Israeli security.The IDF made it clear that should Gazan fishermen sail beyond the agreed upon limit, the Israeli navy will deal with the disturbance.While this is a substantial increase, it is less then the 12 nautical miles Gazan fishermen enjoyed before the second intifada, and the 20 nautical miles which were stated in the Oslo Accords.
