Dozens of batfish have spread on the shores of the Gaza Strip after they got caught in the nets of fishermen in the poor coastal enclave.

Dozens of citizens gathered in Gaza City to watch the rare fish that migrate during the months of March and April of each year and pass near the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, according to the fishermen.

Fisherman Bashir Shuwaikh explains how he was lucky enough to catch more than ten fish, each of which weighs between 200 and 300 kilograms, and the price per kilogram is approximately $4.

"Every year, quantities of batfish come out. This is the season when the weather is hot. Each boat catches a certain number of fish," he added.

He continues, "Most people in Gaza know this fish and love it very much. Today, I sold a large amount of it and took a whole fish for my family."

The price of one batfish ranges between $200 and $400.

Since 2007, Israel has imposed a tight sea, land and air blockade on the Strip, which has a population of more than 2.3 million Palestinians, most of whom suffer from poverty and unemployment.

Israel determines the permitted fishing area for Palestinian fishermen in the Mediterranean, which often ranges between 6 and 15 nautical miles, and it reduces it according to the repercussions of the security situation.

The Oslo Accords signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel in 1993 limited the fishing area to 20 nautical miles, provided that this area is entirely under the control of the Palestinians.

More than 70,000 citizens of Gaza live by fishing, and about 4,000 fishermen work in the Strip.

The numbers of batfish, of which there are two species, are declining and they are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.