Following the firing of two rockets into the Israeli town of Sderot, which coincided with President Barack Obama’s visit to Israel and the West Bank, the Israeli military announced it would reduce the fishing zone for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from six nautical miles to three nautical miles.

Quoting Israeli army forces, the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency reported that “in response to the rocket fire earlier this morning ... the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Minister of Defense, Mr. Moshe (Bogie) Yaalon, have instructed the IDF to narrow the permitted fishing zone for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from six to three miles," the army said.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, a spokesman of the Palestinian government in Gaza, Taher al-Nono, condemned the Israeli decision and warned of its potentially grave repercussions. “Israel should not try to test the patience of the Palestinian resistance and the Palestinian people against its outrageous practices,” Nono told Al-Monitor, urging Israel to abide by the terms of the Egyptian-brokered cease-fire agreement.

Following eight days of fierce fighting between Palestinian armed factions in Gaza, primarily Hamas, and the Israeli army, which started Nov. 14, 2012, and resulted in the deaths of more than 160 Palestinians and six Israelis, Hamas and Israel signed the cease-fire understanding, under which Israel would allow fishermen an increased access to the fishing zone from three to six nautical miles.