Middle East Monitor / July 30, 2021
Israel today announced that it would expand the Gaza fishing zone after restricting it for four days.
According to the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the [occupied Palestinian] Territories (COGAT), it was decided to expand the Gaza Strip fishing zone from six to 12 nautical miles starting Monday morning.
Last Sunday Israel reduced by half the fishing zone off Gaza allegedly in response to the launching of incendiary balloons into Israel from the coastal enclave. The area had been expanded on 12 July.
Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel is obligated to permit fishing off the Gaza Strip’s coast within an area of 20 nautical miles, but this has never been implemented.
