On Sunday, 3 April, Israel expanded the zone where Palestinians are allowed to fish off the Gaza coast from six nautical miles to nine, loosening rules that had been in place for more than 10 years.
The move affects about 60 percent of Gaza’s Mediterranean coastline and is expected to add ILS 400,000 (USD 105,700; EUR 92,700) to the annual revenue generated by Gaza’s fishery, which has a current estimated value of ISL 6 million (USD 1.59 million; EUR 1.39 million), according to The New York Times, which reported the story.
The 1994 Oslo peace accords established the fishing boundary at 20 nautical miles out from the Gaza coast but Israel has shrunk that total in recent years, citing security concerns, according to the Times. From 2006 to 2012, the zone where fishing was allowed was limited to three nautical miles; before that, Palestinian fishermen could fish up to 12 miles out, according to the Times.
