Israel has returned a fishing boat from Gaza that it confiscated for allegedly exceeding the Palestinian enclave’s fishing zone, a non-governmental organization said Sunday, according to a court ruling.

Customs office of the Gaza StripPhoto: APAImages / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

Israeli authorities have argued that the vessel seized in November 2022, belonging to Mohammad al-Hissi, should be seized permanently.

But on Friday, a court in Haifa (northern Israel) decided to return the boat to him, the Israeli non-governmental organization Gisha, which represents the interests of the Palestinian fisherman, reported on Sunday.

In February 2022, the Israeli navy seized another boat belonging to a relative of Mohammed Jihad al-Hissi, Miriam Marmur, a spokeswoman for this NGO, which advocates the freedom of movement of Palestinians, especially those from Gaza.

But Gisha contested the claim and returned the boat in September 2022, she said.

Although the case against the final confiscation of the two boats is still pending, the court ordered the two boats to be returned to their owners pending the end of the proceedings, Gisha said in a statement.

It also “made the return of the boats subject to mandatory conditions, including a significant financial guarantee,” the NGO added.

The court’s decision remains “unjust because we paid a large amount of money, in addition to losing (business) because we couldn’t fish,” Jihad al-Hissi told AFP on Sunday.

Israel violates the Oslo agreement

Israel’s navy says the boats went beyond the Israeli-imposed maritime zone to Gaza under the blockade of the territory, where fishing remains one of the few economic drivers.

The limit of the fishing zone currently ranges from 6 to 15 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza, while the Israeli-Palestinian Oslo accords signed in the 1990s set it at a maximum of 20 nautical miles.

Israel seized at least 23 boats in Gaza in 2022, a record since 2018, according to the Palestinian NGO Al Mezan.

Israel says its land, air and sea blockade of Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, is necessary to protect it from rockets and other attacks by the Islamist movement Hamas, which rules the territory.