On 1 April, Israel doubled the area where Palestinians can fish in the Mediterranean Sea off of the Gaza Strip as part of Egyptian-negotiated talks with Hamas. The distance was extended from 6-9 nautical miles (9-15 km) at the narrowest sea corridor, to 12-15 nautical miles (19-24 km) which is the widest since 2000, before a Palestinian revolt erupted. “This step is part of the civilian policy aimed at preventing a humanitarian deterioration in the Gaza Strip and reflects the policy of distinguishing between terror and the uninvolved populace,” an Israeli official said to Reuters. The Palestinians saw this move as a concession to a year of protests at the border, combined with several surges of cross-border fighting which have conduced mediation by Egypt, the UN, and Qatar on ways to help Gaza’s economy. The U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladtenov welcomed Israel’s decision to increase the fishing zone, adding: “(I) urge for a substantial improvement of the movement and access for goods and people, including between Gaza and the West Bank”, read Reuters. The past year has been the deadliest in Gaza since the last war between Hamas and Israel five years ago. The UN considers Israel to use excessive force while Israel defends itself by saying it has no choice but to use deadly force to protect the border. Maintaining the expanded zone for Gaza fisherman “depends on (them) honoring the agreements” and that any attempt to venture beyond it “will be handled accordingly by the (Israeli) security services”, stated the Israeli official.