In June 2023, Israel approved the development of Gaza Marine, a small offshore gas field near the Gaza Strip that has remained dormant since its discovery in 2000. The field can potentially benefit the Palestinian Authority (PA) in terms of export revenue and energy independence. However, the legal status of the field remains unclear, and the 2023 Israel–Hamas war further complicated this matter. On the one hand, although Israel has not made any legal claim to Gaza Marine, its approval to develop the field is still considered necessary by all parties involved. On the other hand, while the PA views itself as the rightful owner of the field, it has had no effective control over Gaza’s coastline or waters since 2007, weakening its claim. This article reviews the complex history and evolving legal status of the Gaza Marine gas field up until the 2023 war. It argues that there is still room for optimism regarding the future development of the field, especially when considering its similarities to the successful 2022 maritime agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

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在有争议的海域达成能源交易：以加沙海洋气田为例

2023 年 6 月，以色列批准开发加沙海洋天然气田，这是加沙地带附近的一个小型海上气田，自 2000 年发现以来一直处于休眠状态。该气田可能在出口收入和能源独立方面使巴勒斯坦权力机构 (PA) 受益。然而，该油田的法律地位仍不明确，而 2023 年以色列与哈马斯的战争则使这一问题进一步复杂化。一方面，虽然以色列尚未对加沙海洋提出任何法律主张，但有关各方仍认为以色列批准开发该油田是必要的。另一方面，虽然巴勒斯坦权力机构认为自己是该油田的合法所有者，但自2007年以来，它一直无法有效控制加沙的海岸线或水域，削弱了其主张。本文回顾了 2023 年战争之前加沙海洋气田的复杂历史和不断变化的法律地位。报告认为，该领域的未来发展仍有乐观空间，特别是考虑到其与以色列和黎巴嫩之间成功的 2022 年海事协议的相似之处。