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No fishing off Gaza
09 March 2007
Recent research by the Israeli human rights organisation, B’Tselem, has found that Israel has forbidden all boats, including fishing boats, from entering the sea off the coast of the Gaza Strip since June 2006.
Palestinian fisherman risk being shot at by the Israeli Navy if they move out into the Mediterranean Sea. Fishing is one of the major economic activities for the Gazan communities, and the prohibition on access to the sea has serious effects on local families dependent on fishing for their livelihood. Israel's prohibition on fishing and access to the sea constitutes a collective punishment of the local Palestinian community and as such is unlawful under international law (Fourth Geneva Convention, 1949).
See full article on B'Tselem's website.
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