Israel halves Gaza fishing zone

The naval forces of the Israeli occupation army forced Palestinian fishermen in Gaza to retreat to a distance of three miles, after halving Gaza fishing zones. In statements Saturdray, Nizar Ayyash, head of the Gaza fishermen's syndicate, said that Israel decided to enforce a newly-restricted 3 mile wide fishing zone, adding that Israel forces fire shots toward fishermen, who breached the zone. The zone had been extended to 11 km (6 miles) as part of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that ended an eight-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in November, in which 166 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed. Ayyash, meanwhile, called for contacting with Egypt to compel Israel to backtrack the decision, urging also international organizations to intervene. Palestinians launched rockets from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel Thursday morning the second day of US President Barack Obama s visit and in response, newly appointed Defense Minister Moshe Ya alon restricted the fishing area to three miles from the Gaza coast and closed a cargo crossing point.