Gaza's Fisherman Are Big Winners in the Ceasefire Deal

Reuters
Connor Simpson 2,229 Views Nov 24, 2012

New details stemming the agreement to play nice between Israel and Hamas will be negotiated over the next few weeks, and so the biggest winners are Gaza's fisherman. They can now fish twice as far off shore.

Israel tightly controls the borders around Gaza and restricts the traffic that can pass in and out. But it was revealed on Saturday that Gaza fisherman are now being permitted to go up to six miles off the coast without any reaction from Israeli naval boats. Some within Gaza argue it isn't enough, and that they should be able to travel 20 miles off shore. Some are just thankful for what they got.

Before, the Israeli navy would sink any boats that went further than three miles. "The Israeli army naval boat which used to fire and torch Palestinian boats that sailed beyond a three-mile distance watched without doing anything to prevent them," a member of a local fishing group told Reuters

Farmers are winning, too. A day a group of Palestinians charged the Israeli border fence and one was shot killed by Israel security officials, farmers were seen tending to the land near the border without being disturbed. Officials from both countries are meeting again on Monday to discuss more restrictions. 

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