Israel Returns Boat to Gaza Fisherman After Court Order

Several thousand Gazans depend on fishing for their livelihoods but often changing Israeli restrictions have led to prolonged layoffs that mean many live below the poverty line | AFP
Several thousand Gazans depend on fishing for their livelihoods but often changing Israeli restrictions have led to prolonged layoffs that mean many live below the poverty line | AFP
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Israel Returns Boat to Gaza Fisherman After Court Order

Several thousand Gazans depend on fishing for their livelihoods but often changing Israeli restrictions have led to prolonged layoffs that mean many live below the poverty line | AFP
Several thousand Gazans depend on fishing for their livelihoods but often changing Israeli restrictions have led to prolonged layoffs that mean many live below the poverty line | AFP

Israel returned a boat to a Gaza fisherman it had seized for allegedly breaching the limits of the Palestinian enclave's fishing zone, an NGO said Sunday, following an Israeli court order.

Israeli authorities had called for the vessel, belonging to fisherman Mohammad al-Hissi, to be permanently confiscated, triggering fears of more such seizures off the Gaza Strip, AFP reported.

But a Haifa court last month ordered that the boat be returned to Hissi even as legal proceedings continued, according to Gisha, the Israeli group defending the Gazan.

Hissi received his vessel on Friday, Gisha said.

According to Miriam Marmur, public advocacy director at Gisha, the Israeli navy had seized Hissi's boat in November 2022.

She also told AFP the navy had seized another boat belonging to Hissi's relative Jihad al-Hissi in February 2022 -- but it had been released in September.

The court case against Israeli authorities demanding the two boats be permanently seized is ongoing, Marmur added.

While it ordered the boats be returned until the end of proceedings, "the court also subjected the release of the boats to onerous conditions, including a substantial financial deposit", Gisha said in a separate statement.

Mohammad al-Hissi was unreachable for comment but his relative Jihad said the court order was still "unfair".

"The decision is unfair because we paid a large amount of money in addition to our loss of not being able to fish" since the boats were seized, he told AFP.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli army had no immediate comment.

The navy had seized the vessels off Gaza, claiming they had breached restrictions enforced by Israel.

The authorities later called for the boats to be permanently confiscated in what Gisha said was a "first of its kind" request.

"Israel has no authority to seize boats engaging in fishing for sustenance and income in Gaza's sea space, much less to permanently confiscate them," Gisha said.

The issue is crucial for thousands in the blockaded Palestinian territory of 2.3 million people, where fishing in the Mediterranean Sea remains one of the few economic lifelines.

The fishing zone allowed by Israel currently extends only to the heavily fished areas between six and 15 nautical miles (about 11 to 28 kilometres) off the Gaza coast.

The court battle comes amid a rise in Israel's temporary seizures of fishing boats suspected of smuggling or breaching the fishing zone.

Last year saw 23 boat confiscations, the highest number since 2018, according to the Palestinian non-governmental group Al Mezan.

Israel says its land, air, and sea blockade of Gaza is needed to protect it from rocket and other attacks from Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that rules the enclave.

Palestinians argue it is an effective siege that has crippled Gaza's economy and further impoverished its people.



Egypt, Czech Republic to Enhance Military Cooperation

Egyptian Commander of the Air Force Mahmoud Fouad Abdel Gawad during his meeting with officials from the Czech armed forces (Egyptian army spokesperson)
Egyptian Commander of the Air Force Mahmoud Fouad Abdel Gawad during his meeting with officials from the Czech armed forces (Egyptian army spokesperson)
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Egypt, Czech Republic to Enhance Military Cooperation

Egyptian Commander of the Air Force Mahmoud Fouad Abdel Gawad during his meeting with officials from the Czech armed forces (Egyptian army spokesperson)
Egyptian Commander of the Air Force Mahmoud Fouad Abdel Gawad during his meeting with officials from the Czech armed forces (Egyptian army spokesperson)

Egypt and the Czech Republic on Saturday agreed to boost cooperation and exchange expertise between the two countries’ air forces.

The statement came during the visit of Egyptian Commander of the Air Force Mahmoud Fouad Abdel Gawad to the Czech Republic, where he held meetings with officials of the armed forces to discuss boosting aspects of military cooperation.

“The visit comes within the framework of the keenness of the General Command of the Armed Forces to promote military cooperation fields with sisterly and friendly countries,” according to the Egyptian army spokesperson.

Abdel Gawad met with Commander of Czech Air Force Petr Cepelka and First Deputy of Czech Defense Minister Frantisek Sulc.

The meetings tackled the strength and depth of the Egyptian-Czech relations and the importance of boosting aspects of cooperation and exchanging expertise between the Egyptian and Czech air forces in the coming period, the spokesperson said.

Abdel Gawad also met with Deputy Foreign Minister Jiri Kozak. They agreed on boosting aspects of strategic partnership between their countries’ air forces, in addition to opening new cooperation horizons in the field of aviation industry.

The Egyptian Commander then visited the premises of the Czech aircraft company of Aero Vodochody. He said both sides are sharing viewpoints on a number of issues of mutual interest.

On Tuesday, Egyptian Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Hassan El-Khatib discussed with Czech Ambassador in Cairo Ivan Jukl ways of fostering economic and trade cooperation between Egypt and the Czech Republic.
Khatib highlighted the depth of relations, underlining the importance of increasing joint investments and establishing partnerships between the public and private sectors in both countries.

The Minister said he plans to visit the Czech Republic soon along with an official delegation that comprises representatives of the Egyptian business community, to inform the Czech side about the recent reforms aimed at improving the business climate in Egypt.

For his part, the Czech ambassador expressed his country's willingness to share experience with Egypt in bringing about economic and institutional transformation, reducing unemployment rates and supporting innovation and technology.

“Egypt enjoys competitive advantages, citing the tax policy that helps the country to be an attractive destination for non-labor-intensive investments, noting Czech companies seek to expand their presence in promising markets, such as Egypt,” Jukl said.

The two sides then agreed on activating the joint business council and holding a forum bringing together business representatives from the public and private sectors in both countries to strengthen investment partnerships and expand bilateral cooperation.