UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov arrived Monday in Gaza Strip amidst Egypt-sponsored truce talks. He met with Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh and other officials to discuss UN’s role in this process. His visit to the Strip strongly supports the agreement Egypt has been working on between Israel and the Palestinian factions. Cairo has reached an agreement to increase the number of trucks entering the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing, expand the fishing zone to 12 miles, improve electricity networks and supplies, facilitate export and import operations, resume transfers of funds to the Strip and hold talks to establish industrial zones in the enclave. In addition to that, parties agreed to transfer funds without delay, continue entering fuel, increase supplies, hold talks to add tanks, allow implementing infrastructure projects and increase the number of temporary employees to 20,000 people. For its part, the UN has decided to employ thousands of graduates in temporary operating projects and oversee the implementation of a number of other projects. Israel loosened restrictions on fishermen off the blockaded Gaza Strip on Monday by allowing them to travel up to 15 nautical miles into the Mediterranean, the largest distance in years. “This step is part of the civil policy to prevent a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Strip and in line with the policy that distinguishes between terrorism and civil society,” said Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee. Implementation of this step is related to Palestinian fishermen’s commitment to the agreements reached in Gaza, he stressed, adding that no breach of the distances agreed upon is allowed. According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, agreements reached between Israel and Palestinian factions have led to the expansion of the fishing zone to a range which hasn’t been seen since the second intifada in 2000. The Gaza fishermens committee said the permitted fishing zone will be extended from 22km (12 nautical miles) to 28km (15 nautical miles), the newspaper added.