‘Israel’s expansion of fishing zone in Gaza is not useful,’ fishermen say

The Israeli expansion of the fishing zone off the Gaza coast is a “trick” that caused “disappointment” to fishermen, the Anadolu Agency reported the Gaza Fishermen’s Union saying.

The union said in a statement that the catch had not increased, but the new area has added to the costs of fishing due to the increasing use of fishing equipment and fuel.

In the statement, the union described this Israeli measure as a “trick”, noting that the expansion of three nautical miles did not cover the entire stretch of the Gaza coastline.

On Sunday, the Israeli occupation said it expanded the fishing zone from six nautical miles to nine nautical miles, claiming this would help Gaza fishermen increase their catch.

The union called for the international community to put pressure on Israeli to commit to its obligations under the Oslo agreement, which allowed fishermen to sail up to 20 nautical miles.