areas within the Israeli-imposed buffer zone, mainly from northern Gaza and eastern Gaza City. 173 Communities within the buffer zone “experienced ground operations and fighting and were the worst affected”. 174 Therefore, Gaza’s land buffer zone constitutes not only a mechanism of land-access restriction, but also leads to forced displacement of Palestinians. Even though ceasefires prompted a decrease in the number of the internally displaced,175 some could not return to investigate if their homes had been destroyed, “for example: Khuza’a was located in the Israeli-declared buffer zone, we could not even go back to check on our belongings”, tells Yasir Abu Reda, inhabitant of Khuza’a.176 Even after the end of “Operation Protective Edge”, the former Israeli-imposed three-kilometer buffer zone still results in restrictions of access of Palestinians of Gaza to their homes in that area, particularly dangerous to civilians due to explosive remnants of war therein.177 Finally, Israeli practices related to Gaza’s land buffer zone lead to civilian casualties and property damage.178 According to OCHA’s most recent report on protection of civilians, on 29 October 2014 Israeli forces’ open fire toward Palestinians in the buffer zone resulted in the injury of a 21-year-old “who was reportedly hunting birds at approximately 300 meters from the fence”.179 The Naval Buffer zone The 1994 Jericho-Gaza Agreement (or 1994 Cairo Agreement) between Israel and the PLO, established a fishing area of 20 nautical miles westwards along the Gaza Strip. However, similarly to Gaza’s land buffer zone, since the beginning of the second Intifada, there have been increasing restrictions on fishermen’s access to the sea. In 2002, Israel committed to allow fishing activities up to 12 nautical miles from shore, but such commitment was never fully implemented.180 In 2006, after the capturing of an Israeli soldier, Israel further limited access to sea areas within six nautical miles from shore.181 In 173 OCHA - Occupied Palestinian Territories, Gaza Initial Rapid Assessment, 10. 174 Such communities include, “particularly Khuza’a, East Rafah, Al-Qarara, Bani Suhai­la, Al-Maghazi Camp, Al-Bureij Camp, Ash-Shuja’iyeh neighborhood in Gaza City, East of Jabalia, as well as Beit Hanoun, Umm An-Nasser and Beit Lahiya in north­ern Gaza”. Ibid., 7. 175 Ibid., 10. 176 OCHA - Occupied Palestinian Territories, Humanitarian Bulletin: Monthly Report, September 2014, 10. 177 Gaza Emergency Situation Report (as of 7 August 2014, 0800 Hrs), 1; see also OCHA - Occupied Palestinian Territories, Gaza Crisis Appeal - September 2014 Update, 25. 178 BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, Israeli Land Grab and Forced Population Transfer of Palestinians, A Handbook for Vulnerable Individuals and Communities, 79. 179 OCHA - Occupied Palestinian Territories, Protection of Civilians, 28 October - 3 November 2014, 4. 180 OCHA, Between the Fence and a Hardplace, 10. 181 OCHA - Occupied Palestinian Territories, “Access and Movement (Gaza Crisis), September 2014.” 52