Palestinian trade union: Israel to extend Gaza fishing rights
Israel is to extend the distance off the coast of Gaza that some of the Palestinian territory's fishermen are allowed to operate from Sunday, their trade union said.
Fishing boats working out of ports in the southern part of the Gaza Strip will be allowed up to nine nautical miles off the coast, the chairman of the Gaza fishermen's union, Nizar Ayyash, said on Friday. He said that the previous six mile limit would be retained in waters off the north of Gaza which neighbor those of Israel.
The Defense Ministry body responsible for implementing government policies in the Palestinian territories, COGAT, said on its Facebook page that ahead of the fishing season, the navy "decided to expand fishing south of Wadi Gaza from six to nine miles." The wadi, or stream bed, reaches the Mediterranean just south of Gaza City.
COGAT estimated the decision could add 400,000 shekels ($106,000, 93,000 euros) a year to the Gazan economy.
