Egyptian navy shoots, kills Palestinian fisherman in southern Gaza

Nov. 8, 2018 11:59 A.M. (Updated: Nov. 8, 2018 12:36 P.M.)

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) – A Palestinian fisherman was shot and killed by Egyptian naval forces, on Wednesday, while fishing off the coast of Rafah, south of the besieged Gaza Strip bordering Egypt.

Zacharia Baker, Head of the Gaza Fishermen Committee, told Ma'an that the fisherman, Mustafa Khalil Abu Odeh, 30, from the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, was shot by two Egyptian live bullets, causing him critical injuries.

Odeh was transferred to the Abu Youssef Najjar Hospital in Rafah, where he was pronounced dead, after being shot in the chest and abdomen.

No reason was provided for the shooting and killing of Odeh.

While reports of Egyptian forces opening fire at Gazans are uncommon, Israeli military incursions inside the besieged Gaza Strip and near the "buffer zone" which lies on both land and sea sides of Gaza, have long been a near-daily occurrence.

Egypt upholds an Israeli military blockade on Gaza, keeping borders largely closed and limiting imports, exports, and the freedom of movement of its residents.

The threat from Egyptian forces comes as Palestinian fishermen already face daily risks in order to make a living, including routine harassment from Israeli naval forces, confiscation of boats and materials, detention and potentially death.Israeli forces open fire towards Palestinian fishing boats on a daily basis.

Egyptian army shoots, kills Palestinian fisherman off Gaza coast

Nov. 5, 2015 6:08 P.M. (Updated: Nov. 5, 2015 6:08 P.M.)

Palestinian fishermen stand on a boat in the harbor of Gaza City. (AFP/Roberto Schmidt, File)

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egyptian military forces shot and killed a Palestinian fisherman off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday afternoon, the Ministry of Health in the besieged enclave said.

Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesperson of the ministry, said Firas Mohammad Miqdad, 18, from Rafah was shot in the abdomen by Egyptian forces while at sea and died from his injuries.It is unclear why Egyptian forces opened fire.In May, Egyptian naval forces opened fire at a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip, injuring a fisherman from Rafah.Egypt upholds an Israeli military blockade on Gaza, keeping borders largely closed and limiting imports, exports, and the freedom of movement of its residents.The threat from Egyptian forces comes as Palestinian fishermen already face daily risks in order to make a living, including routine harassment from Israeli naval forces, confiscation of boats and materials, detention, and potentially death.

Israeli forces reportedly fired towards Palestinian fishing boats on a daily basis last week, according to documentation by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

Egyptian navy shoots, injures Gaza fisherman

May 26, 2015 9:49 P.M. (Updated: May 27, 2015 2:50 P.M.) 

 

(MaanImages/File)

 

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egyptian naval forces late Monday opened fire on a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip, injuring a fisherman from Rafah.Palestinian sources identified the fisherman as Muhammad al-Bardawil. The shooting came after two other Gazan fishermen were shot and injured by Israeli forces earlier in the day for allegedly leaving the designated fishing zone.Last week, a Gazan fishing boat was damaged when Egyptian gunboats fired on it, although no injuries were reported.Egypt upholds an Israeli military blockade on Gaza, keeping borders largely closed and limiting imports, exports, and the freedom of movement of its residents.On the land border, the Egyptian government has actively destroyed smuggling tunnels since the military coup in the summer of 2013, and is creating a kilometer-wide buffer zone.Israeli forces, meanwhile, have repeatedly opened fire on Palestinians on land and at sea. March alone witnessed a total of 35 incidents of shootings, incursions into the coastal enclave, and arrests, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.

Gaza fisherman shot by Egyptian boats

Published yesterday (updated) 28/05/2014 23:03

 

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian fisherman was shot by Egyptian boats in the sea near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Spokesman for the Gaza ministry of health Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma'an that a fisherman was shot in the face by Egyptian boats off the coast of Rafah.

Al-Qidra said that the victim was 16 years old but did not identify him by name.

He was taken to the European Gaza Hospital with moderate to serious injuries, al-Qidra added.

Although Israeli soldiers enforcing a 7-year-old blockade on the Gaza Strip frequently fire at Palestinian fishermen who stray too far from the coast, Egyptian forces -- who also enforce the siege, at Israel's request -- do so much more rarely.

Egyptian navy detains 3 Gaza fishermen

Published yesterday (updated) 06/05/2014 16:13

Palestinian fishermen work Jan. 24, 2009 near the border with
Egypt (AFP/File, Said Khatib)

 

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Egyptian navy detained three Palestinian fishermen off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip early Tuesday, a union official said.

Nizar Ayyash, spokesperson for the Gaza fishermen's union, told Ma'an that Egyptian naval squadrons obstructed a fishing boat off the coast of Rafah.

The navy then took Amir Jamal al-Aqraa and his two brothers Muhammad and Fahd into custody, Ayyash said, without providing further details.

Gaza fishermen face severe restrictions imposed by both Israel and Egypt, whose navies often fire on fishing boats that stray outside small "designated fishing zones."

In August, Egyptian forces fired at Gaza fishermen, injuring two men and arresting six others.

Egypt-Gaza relations have deteriorated in the wake of the military ouster of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in July.

There are some 4,000 fishermen in Gaza. According to a 2011 report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, 90 percent are poor, a 40 percent increase from 2008 resulting from Israeli limits on the fishing industry.

Egyptian naval ship fires at Gaza fishermen

Published Saturday 22/02/2014 (updated) 27/02/2014 18:07

 

Palestinian fishermen work Jan. 24, 2009 near the border with
Egypt (AFP/File, Said Khatib)

 

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- An Egyptian naval ship opened fire at a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip early Saturday, a Palestinian union official said.

Nizar Ayyash, spokesman for the union of Gaza fishermen, told Ma'an that the Egyptian navy fired warning shots at a fishing boat off the coast of Rafah.

The fishing boat was nearing Egyptian territorial waters, Ayyash said.

The Egyptian ship was stationed just within Palestinian territorial waters at the time, he added.

Ayyash said that the Gaza fishing boat sailed away after the warning shots were fired. No injuries were reported.

In August, Egyptian forces fired at Gaza fishermen, injuring two men and arresting six others.

Egypt-Gaza relations have deteriorated since the military ouster of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in July.

Palestinian fishermen are severely impacted by the Gaza Strip's political isolation. Israel imposes strict limitations on Gaza fishermen, regularly firing at boats that stray into what Israel's army calls "unauthorized fishing zones."

In the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to a 20-nautical-mile fishing zone off Gaza's coast, but it has imposed a three-mile limit for several years.

Israel has controlled Gaza waters since its occupation of the area in 1967, and has kept several warships stationed off the coast since 2008.

There are 4,000 fishermen in Gaza. According to a 2011 report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, 90 percent are poor, an increase of 40 percent from 2008 and a result of Israeli limits on the fishing industry.

Press Release: UFree Network denounces the Egyptian military courts sentences against Palestinian fishermen

Oslo | UFree Network Media Centre 

UFree Network strongly condemns the Egyptian military court sentences against Palestinian fishermen who were given a one-year prison sentence and a penalty fine for fishing in Egyptian waters near the Gaza Strip.

The five Palestinian fishermen were arrested by the Egyptian sea border 
police on 30th of August claiming they broke through the sea borders with Egypt. 

UFree Chairman, Mohammad Hamdan, considered the Egyptian military sentences as a serious precedent action against Palestinian civilians which reminded us of the brutal Israeli practices especially that the courts were held in illegal and mysterious conditions.

The Oslo based Network called for the immediate release of the five fishermen and all Palestinian detainees in Egyptian jails who were arrested without legal justification. UFree Network also called on Egyptian authorities to stop targeting Palestinians in Egypt and to put an end to the escalated incitement against them.

Hamas: Egypt arrests 2 Gaza fishermen

 Ma'an

GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Egyptian naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza Strip's southern coast and arrested two of them, the Hamas movement said.

Hamas "condemns the fire from Egyptian gunboats toward Palestinians within Palestinian waters, and the arrest of some of them," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.

A local security source said Egyptian navy forces opened fire at two fishermen in waters off the southern Gaza city Rafah and arrested them, noting there were no injuries in the incident.

On Sunday, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off Gaza's coast, witnesses said. Fishermen were forced to return to the shore following the incident, with no injuries reported.

This was the second time in recent weeks that Egyptian forces have opened fire at Gaza fishermen and made arrests. On August 30 two Palestinian fishermen were wounded and five others arrested by Egyptian navy forces, according to Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.

Saturday's incident took place amid growing tensions between Hamas and Egypt.

On August 31, Egypt's foreign ministry accused Hamas of raiding an Egyptian cultural center in Gaza and detaining several Egyptians.

And on Thursday, two Egyptian army tanks crossed an initial border fence leading to Gaza for the first time.

Relations between Egypt and the Islamist movement have sharply deteriorated since the military-led ouster on July 3 of president Mohamed Morsi.

The deposed Islamist leader is now in detention, accused of colluding with Hamas in staging prison breaks and killing policemen during the 2011 uprising that overthrew former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt's army has since the July coup destroyed many of the tunnels Brotherhood ally Hamas uses to bring supplies into the semi-blockaded Strip.

Egypt closed its Rafah border crossing with Gaza on August 19 after a deadly attack nearby that killed 24 policeman, and now opens the crossing for a few hours a day for "humanitarian" purposes only.

Abu Zuhri condemns Egyptian navy for shooting Palestinian fishermen

[ 31/08/2013 - 08:41 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, has condemned the Egyptian navy for shooting at a group of Palestinian fishermen. Abu Zuhri said in a press release on Friday that the act was “unjustified”, and called on the Egyptian authorities to release those arrested during the attack. The Egyptian navy had arrested five fishermen, who were working near the Egyptian marine borders, and injured two others after shooting at them.

Egypt fires at Palestinian fishermen off Gaza: medics

Egypt Independent

Reuters

 

Egyptian naval police shot and wounded two Palestinian fishermen and detained five off the Gaza Strip on Friday, medics said, an incident that hinted at increased tension between Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers and Cairo.
Fishermen from Gaza have often brought in catch from Egyptian territory to sidestep restrictions imposed by Israel's naval blockade of the enclave. But Egypt has grown less tolerant of this practice since Islamist President Mohamed Morsy was toppled by the military almost two months ago.
The group of seven Palestinian fishermen were sailing west of the southern Gaza border town of Rafah towards Egyptian waters when the forces opened fire at them, Gaza hospital officials said. Egyptian authorities had no immediate comment.
The wounded pair avoided arrest and were only lightly hurt, hospital officials in Gaza said.
Relations between Hamas and Egypt have deteriorated markedly since Morsy was removed by the Egyptian military on 3 July after weeks of mass unrest against his Islamist rule. Hamas is an offshoot of Morsy's Muslim Brotherhood
Egyptian officials have accused Hamas of aiding Islamist militants in Egypt's widely lawless Sinai peninsula bordering Gaza. Hamas denies this.
Citing security concerns, Israel, Hamas's arch-adversary, maintains a naval blockade of the enclave and imposes a limit of six nautical miles on the distance that fishermen can sail out to sea.
Israeli forces have regularly shot at Gaza boats seen as trying to breach the blockade, but there was no previous record of the Egyptians opening fire.
Gaza fishermen say that the limited fishing zone imposed by Israel is not big enough to meet the demands in the enclave and have often brought fish back from Egypt, either by boat or through smuggling tunnels.
Since Morsy's ousting, Egyptian authorities have warned Gaza fishermen against entering Egyptian territorial waters.
It could not be confirmed whether the fishermen shot at on Friday were attempting to cross into Egyptian waters.

 ----

Egyptian forces shoot at Palestinian fishermen

Published Friday 30/08/2013 (updated) 01/09/2013 17:06

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egyptian naval forces on Friday shot two Palestinian fishermen near the Egypt-Gaza border and detained five others, Palestinian sources in Gaza said.

Egyptian forces opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats, injuring 19-year-old Ibrahim Abdullah al-Najjar and 21-year-old Wael al-Bardawil. They were taken to the Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital in the Palestinian side of Rafah.

Egyptian forces detained Khalid Basla, Mahmud Basla, Maher Basla, Jamal Khaled Abu Shlouf, and Ismael Basla.

The fishermen are from the the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Hamas-Egypt tensions high after fisherman death

Gaza – Ma'an – Tensions between Hamas and Egypt resurfaced on Wednesday following the death of a Palestinian fisherman off the coast of Rafah.

The Gaza government said an Egyptian vessel was responsible for Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Bardawil's death

Hamas leader Salah Al-Bardawil said shortly after the incident that "Egyptian boat 94 killed the fisherman, deliberately running him over."

The official said the deceased's son, who was injured in the incident, reported that his father's body was left in the water and not retrieved until he returned to the area. The son further alleges that when he returned to the waters, he was taken by Egyptian soldiers and beaten.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry released a statement saying Egypt allows small boats to fish in Egyptian waters, denying that the fisherman's death was deliberate.

Egyptian security sources told Ma'an that an Egyptian maritime patrol identified a Palestinian fishing boat entering Egyptian waters without turning on its lights. Unable to see the small boat, the patrol crashed into it, the sources said.

A second Palestinian fishing boat was allowed to enter Egyptian waters to retrieve the boat and return it to Palestinian land, the sources added.

Al-Bardawil further said the incident was a "distortion of Egypt's image and requires condemnation from the Egyptians."

Meanwhile, the de facto Interior Ministry said it held Egypt responsible for the fisherman's death and the injury of four others, calling on Egypt's government to investigate.

Al-Bardawil was pronounced dead on arrival at the Abu Yousif An-Najjar Hospital, said Gaza medical official Adham Abu Suleimeh.

In February, Egyptian authorities denied arresting four Gaza fishermen off the southern coast of Rafah.

"Egyptian coast guards deal with Palestinian in a humane way; if they cross into Egyptian territorial water, they are turned away without arrest because of the inhumane circumstances Palestinian fishermen are living under," a senior Egyptian security source told Ma'an at the time.

Palestinian fisherman dies after Egyptian battle cruiser hits his boat

[ 12/05/2010 - 09:48 AM ]

RAFAH, (PIC)-- A Palestinian fisherman died and his brother and two sons were injured when an Egyptian battle cruiser collided with their fishing boat on Wednesday morning. Adham Abu Salama, the media coordinator of the military medical services, told the PIC that Mohammed Al-Bardawil, 44, was killed in the incident. Ihab Al-Ghussain, the interior ministry spokesman, told PIC that the ministry was investigating the incident, adding that eyewitnesses reported that the Egyptian battle cruiser collided with the Palestinian fishing boat. ------- Palestinian killed, 2 injured in boating accident with Egyptian boat Wednesday, 12 May 2010 08:04 Gaza, May 12, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – The fisherman Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Bardawil, 44, was killed and two of his relatives were wounded early Wednesday when an Egyptian boat hit his boat strongly on the sea border between Rafah and Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses from the relatives of the killed fisherman said that he was fishing in his boat which has no engine, when he was shocked by the Egyptian boat directly which wounded him seriously. They added that his head was crushed and his son and another fisherman from his relatives were injured. They said: "The Egyptian naval forces seized during the incident 15 electric motor from the fishermen, 6 fishing nets, in addition to sabotaged fishing nets of the Palestinian fishermen." According to The Director of Emergency Services at Al-Shefa Hospital, Dr. Muawiya Hassanein, Al- Bardawil was transferred to Abu Yousef Al-Najjar Hospital after being critically injured in his head. He was entered to the intensive care, but after a while he was dead. Egypt established a small marina to monitor the maritime border with Gaza.

Egyptian Navy Confiscates Palestinian Fishing Equipment

Tuesday May 11, 2010 01:56 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The Egyptian Navy confiscated fishing equipment owned by Palestinian fishermen after claiming that they crossed into Egyptian territorial waters.

File - rafahtoday.org

The fishermen said that they were violently attacked by the Egyptian Navy.

Fisherman Mohammad Hamdan said that the Egyptian Navy confiscated his equipment estimated by 10.000 USD.

He was fishing along with his two brothers. Hamdan stated that this is the third time Egypt’s Navy confiscates his equipment and that similar attacks were carried out against several other fishermen in the past four months.

There are nearly 350 fishermen in the Gaza Strip, most of them were repeatedly attacked or arrested by the Egyptian Navy in addition to repeated attacks carried out by the Israeli Navy.

Egyptian coast guards detain 2 Gaza fishermen

Gaza – Ma'an – Egyptian coast guards detained two Gaza fishermen on Sunday evening on charges of entering Egyptian territorial water, officials said.

The fishermen told Egyptian authorities they had unknowingly entered the country's territorial waters. Police identified them as Ahmad Sa'id An-Najjar, 17, and Basim Abed Rabbo, 36.

On Saturday, coast guards detained three Palestinian fishermen also held on charges of illegally entering the country's territorial waters.

The fishermen claimed they were having engine trouble and were dragged along by the current, Ma'an's Egypt correspondent reported.

The incident was not the first of its kind. Egyptian authorities have sentenced fishermen who were detained in similar circumstances to one year of probation and a fine of 1,000 Egyptian pounds (150 US dollars) before returning them to the Gaza Strip.

Sunday's detentions are the fifth since the beginning of 2010, with Egyptian authorities returning Palestinian fishermen to the Gaza Strip following legal proceedings.

Gaza fishermen detained by Egypt coast guard

Al-Arish – Ma'an – Three Palestinian fishermen were detained on Saturday night by the Egyptian coast guard, held on charges of illegally entering the country's territorial waters.

The fishermen claimed they were having engine trouble and were dragged along by the current, Ma'an's Egypt correspondent reported.

The incident was not the first of its kind. Egyptian authorities have sentenced fishermen who were detained in similar circumstances to one year of probation and a fine of 1,000 Egyptian pounds (150 US dollars) before returning them to the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Egyptian security forces uncovered a tunnel near the Rafah border used for smuggling cars into the coastal enclave. The tunnel was discovered between the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings, in an area where Egypt's underground wall has yet to be built.

Egyptian security deny arresting Gazan fishermen

Al-A’rish- Ma'an – Egyptian authorities denied arresting four Gazan fishermen off the southern coast of Rafah on Friday, senior Egyptian security sources told Ma'an on Sunday.

"The territorial water between Egypt and Gaza did not witness any Palestinian violations [prompting an arrest] over that period of time," the sources said.

"Egyptian coast guards deal with Palestinian in a humane way; if they cross into Egyptian territorial water, they are turned away without arrest because of the inhumane circumstances Palestinian fishermen are living under."

Sources added that any arrests would be announced through the legal channels within the Egyptian security services.

Egyptian navy arrests 4 Palestinian fishermen off Rafah's shore

Gaza – Ma'an – Egyptian naval forces arrested four Palestinian fishermen Friday night, trawling for a late night catch on the Gaza shore south of Rafah, witnesses said.

The men were taken to an unknown location and remain out of contact with family, sources confirmed.

Witnesses identified the men taken as Khalid Al- Hesi, Marwan Al-Se’eidi, Khader Murad and Fathi Ar-Reba’i.

The reasons behind their detentions remain unclear.

Agriculture ministry condemns Egyptian arrest of Palestinian fishermen

[ 13/02/2010 - 02:38 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The Palestinian agriculture ministry has expressed dismay at the Egyptian detention of four Palestinian fishermen in which it described as a "serious precedent". The ministry in a press release on Saturday said that four fishermen were aboard two small finishing boats on Friday evening when they were kidnapped by the Egyptian authorities while fishing at sea south of the Gaza Strip. It said that Palestinian fishermen are facing dangers in their sole source of sustenance. The ministry regretted that the Palestinian fishermen are now being targeted by both the Israelis and Egyptians. It urged the Egyptian authority to halt such persecution of Palestinian fisherman, and called on concerned Egyptian professional syndicates to denounce the practices and to intervene to stop them.