Palestinian fisherman injured by Israeli fire off Gaza coast despite ongoing ceasefire

By Ramzi Mahmud

ISTANBUL — A Palestinian fisherman was wounded Thursday after Israeli naval vessels opened fire off the coast of Gaza City, in a new breach of a ceasefire in place since Oct. 10, medical sources said.

The sources said Israeli gunboats fired bullets and shells heavily toward the Gaza City shoreline and pursued fishermen’s boats, wounding one fisherman.

Local sources and witnesses said that Israeli warplanes also carried out two airstrikes in areas under Israeli military control east of Gaza City.

Israeli artillery shelling and intermittent gunfire were also reported in the Shujaiya and Al-Tuffah neighborhoods of Gaza City.

Witnesses said that Israeli tanks and military vehicles fired machine guns and shells east and south of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, without immediate reports of casualties.

Since the Gaza ceasefire took effect, Israeli forces have killed 633 Palestinians and wounded 1,703 others in repeated violations involving shelling and gunfire, according to the Health Ministry.

The ceasefire agreement followed Israel’s two-year war that began Oct. 8, 2023, killing more than 72,000 Palestinians, injuring over 172,000 others, and causing massive destruction to roughly 90% of civilian infrastructure in Gaza. The United Nations estimates reconstruction costs at about $70 billion.

*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul