Egypt denies killing Palestinian fisherman in Gaza

A funeral procession was held for a slain Palestinian fisherman in Gaza on Thursday, which Gaza’s interior ministry claims the Egyptian naval forces caused.

The ministry spokesman said Egyptian naval forces fired on a Palestinian fishing boat and killed the fisherman on Wednesday. An Egyptian military source denied the report, according to Reuters.

‘‘Yesterday evening, the Egyptian naval forces fired at a boat carrying fishermen in Rafah water, southern Gaza. They fired directly toward the boat; one fisherman was killed. The Ministry of Interior and the national security request from the Egyptian authorities to urgently investigate this case and to ensure that this incident will not be repeated.”, said Eyad Al-Bozom, Spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza.

But as the back and forth goes on, loved ones are distraught.

“They (fishermen) take risks, they leave their kids in order to work and in the end Egyptians fired at them”, said Aiza Abu Ouda, mother of the slain Palestinian fisherman.

In Cairo, an Egyptian military source denied the report, without elaborating.

Egypt’s navy has in the past shot at Gazans whom it has accused of crossing the maritime border. There was no initial information whether the fishing boat had crossed into Egyptian waters.

Israel maintains a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Cairo has been trying to negotiate a reconciliation agreement between Hamas and the rival Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which holds sway in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Reuters