Majid Abdel Aziz Wahdan (52) in the land he farms in Beit Hanoun

Following its disengagement from the Gaza Strip in September 2005, Israel unilaterally and unlawfully established a so-called ‘buffer zone’, an area prohibited to Palestinians along the land and sea borders of the Gaza Strip. The precise area designated by Israel as a “buffer zone” is unclear and this Israeli policy is often enforced with live fire. In accordance with the ceasefire agreement that ended Israel’s last military offensive on the Gaza Strip in November 2012, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) in an online statement on 25 February 2013 declared that farmers could access lands in the border area up to 100m from the border fence instead of the previously imposed 300 meters. However, this reference, along with the reference to the increased fishing area at sea, was removed from the statement later. Then, on 11 March 2013, an Israeli army spokesperson, in a letter to GISHA, stated “the residents of Gaza are required not to approach within 300m of the security fence”.

Mahmoud Mohammed Jarboa (52), a fisherman from Beach Camp, Gaza City

Mahmoud Mohammed Jarboa (52) is a fisherman from Beach Camp, Gaza City, and a father of ten children, seven sons and three daughters. Mahmoud relies on the income he and his sons make from fishing to support 21 dependents. For many years, Mahmoud has suffered from the restrictions placed on access to the Palestinian territorial waters off the coast of the Gaza Strip.