Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories announced on Wednesday that Gaza's fishing zone would be reduced to 10 nautical miles after at least 11 arson balloons were launched from the Hamas run Strip at Israel.
Several fires were reported at Israeli fields adjacent to the Gaza border on Wednesday, which according to the local fire departments in the Eshkol and Sdot Negev regional councils were "caused by incendiary balloons."
COGAT's decision came a day after it expanded the permitted fishing zone off the coast of the Gaza Strip to 15 nautical after reports that a six-month ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel had been reached.
The expansion was part of a "civilian policy for prevention of deterioration in humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip and is consistent with the policy of distinguishing between terrorists and the un-implicated population."
Also Wednesday, United Nations special envoy to the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, told the U.N. Security Council that the situation in Gaza was dire but that he was in coordination with Egypt to ease the tensions between Israel and Hamas.
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