CPSGaza
At 7:51 am, the Oliva left the Gaza Seaport carrying its Palestinian captain, an international crew of an American and a German, and two journalists from a Palestinian news agency.
At 8:49 am, the Oliva was at 31° 33.77N / 034° 24.53E near three hasakas, a trawler, and an Israeli warship that appeared to move along the three-nautical mile line.
A second Israeli warship to the south of the Oliva was seen to activate its water cannon, although no target was obvious from our distance. This warship then also moved onto the three-nautical mile line.
At 10:43 am, the Oliva began its return to the Seaport, where it arrived at 10:57 am.
Background:
Israel has been regularly attacking Palestinian fishermen within the purported 3 nautical mile fishing limit. The livelihood of many Gazans relies on fishing and Israel has been using live ammunition and water cannons to prevent fishermen from doing their work.
The Israeli Siege continues after more than 4 years, limiting the sea area available for the Gaza population. This area was supposed to be 20 miles according to the Jericho agreements from 1994 (under the Oslo accords), then it was reduced to 12 miles, to 6 miles and now to 3 miles since December 2008.
The Civil Peace Services continue monitoring potential human rights violations at the sea in front of the Gaza Strip.
