Ceasefire Questions Grow as Israel Denies Hamas Claim on Fishing Deal

Israeli Forces Didn't Attack Fishermen, But Insist '3 Mile Limit' Remains

by Jason Ditz, November 25, 2012

More questions about the exact terms and status of the Gaza Strip ceasefire emerged today with Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev loudly denying claims that Israel had ever agreed to ease their crackdown on fishing by Gazans.

Hamas had reported yesterday that the truce included an agreement to allow Gazans to fish in the six miles off of their own coast, double what the Israeli Navy had previously allowed and a major opportunity for the tiny strip to solve the constant state of food insecurity the Israeli siege has created.

Despite Regev’s denials, fishermen reportedly were able to go outside of the previous limit without being killed, as they so often have in the past. Regev’s comments also denied several other key points of the truce, leaving major questions about its status.

Indeed, Regev maintained that the truce was only a mutual cessation of fire, and that no issues related to the blockade were even brought up, saying that they would be settled later in Israeli negotiations with Egypt.

In the meantime, Gaza fishermen seem to be eagerly moving outward, though they say that most of the best fishing off the sandy coast of Gaza is 15 miles out, still far outside of their reach at any rate.

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