GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Israel has allowed Gaza fishermen to export their catch to the West Bank for the first time since 2007. Monday’s shipment of more than 700 kilograms of fish marked a symbolic easing of a longstanding Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip. Israel, which imposed the blockade after Hamas seized […]
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Israel has allowed Gaza fishermen to export their catch to the West Bank for the first time since 2007.
Monday’s shipment of more than 700 kilograms of fish marked a symbolic easing of a longstanding Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip. Israel, which imposed the blockade after Hamas seized power in Gaza, agreed to loosen the restrictions after a 50-day war against the Islamic militant group over the summer.
Adel Attallah, of the Palestinian Agriculture Ministry, said the shipment was meant to “test the Israeli intentions.”
Gaza used to ship up to 1,200 tons of fish to the West Bank each year before the blockade.
Following the war, Israel agreed to double a permitted fishing zone for Gazans up to six nautical miles.
