Israel releases long-seized Palestinian fishing boats

GAZA, Palestine

Israeli authorities on Tuesday released 22 Palestinian fishing boats it had seized a long time ago.

“Israel released today afternoon 22 fishing boats and four motorboats through the Kerem Shalom crossing southern Gaza Strip," the head of Gaza's Palestinian Fishermen's Union, told Anadolu Agency Tuesday.

They are unusable and can't operate with a lot of equipment, including engines, gears, broken and the rust has damaged all the body of the ships, he said.

In May, the Al Mezan Center For Human Rights, a Palestinian NGO, issued a press release and said: “Following a High Court petition filed by three human rights organizations, Israel submitted a preliminary response where it declared that it intends to return 65 fishing boats seized from Gaza fishermen in the Strip’s territorial waters.”

According to the fishermen's union, roughly 50,000 Palestinians from the blockaded Gaza strip earn their living from fishing.