Israel tightens Gaza fishing restrictions after new fire balloons – ministry

Israel said on Wednesday it had tightened restrictions on Palestinian fishing off the blockaded Gaza Strip after more balloons fitted with firebombs were floated from the enclave into its territory.

The zone it allows Gaza fishermen was reduced to a maximum of 10 nautical miles from 15, AFP reported, citing COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry unit that oversees such regulations.

The move came just days after Israel restored the fishing limit to the 15 nautical mile maximum after a previous cut in response to fire balloons last week.

Several thousand Gazans depend on fishing for their livelihoods but often changing Israeli restrictions have led to prolonged layoffs.