Israel cuts Gaza fishing zone again after new fire balloons

Israel has cut the fishing zone it allows off Gaza in the third such response in a fortnight to Palestinian incendiary balloons.

As of Wednesday, the fishing limit for Gaza fishermen had been reduced from a maximum of 15 nautical miles to 10, AFP reported, citing an Israeli official.

Incendiary balloons from Gaza caused three blazes on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the Israeli fire service. They reportedly followed Israel’s move to restore the limit to 15 miles after a previous reduction in response to fire balloons last week.

The limit of up to 15 nautical miles set ahead of Israel’s April general election is the largest allowed in years. Human rights activists say it falls short of the 20 nautical miles agreed under the Oslo accords of the 1990s.