Islam Times - UNCTAD: conditions worsening for Palestinians

Islam Times - The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), announced last week that the small fishing limit off the coast of Gaza, as compared with the internationally recognized limit of 20 nautical miles caused the number of fishermen in the blockaded coastal enclave to decline by 66 per cent.

Fishermen in Gaza are poverty stricken due to Israeli practices. But they say what adds insult to injury is the aggression by Israeli naval forces on Palestinian fishermen. A rights’ group in Gaza has decided to take the Israeli military to court.

Fishermen have reported a sharp increase in Israeli naval attacks in recent months. One fisherman whom we met at the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights had this to say……..

International human rights workers who on several occasions accompanied Gazan fishermen at sea and witnessed firsthand Israeli violence said that the United Nations must put its words into actions.

Restriction on the zone in which Gazans are allowed to fish is reducing catches and destroying the livelihoods of thousands of families.

Experts say that with fishing around Gaza restricted by Israeli forces to less than 3 nautical miles from the coast, the Palestinian fishing industry has collapsed almost completely.