Early on Tuesday morning, the Israeli navy opened fire at a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of Gaza City, before abducting three Palestinian fishermen.
Eyewitnesses said the abducted men were identified as Abdullah Al-Absi, Mohammad Miqdad, and Bakr Abu Abda.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of daily aggression by Israeli naval units targeting Palestinian fishermen in Gaza’s territorial waters.
Fishermen in Gaza face constant harassment, including live fire, abductions, and the confiscation of boats and equipment. These attacks not only violate international maritime law but also devastate one of Gaza’s few remaining sources of livelihood amid a crippling blockade and ongoing military assault.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has imposed a total ban on fishing, executing numerous fishermen, destroying all fishing vessels, and forcing survivors to operate under life-threatening conditions to feed their families.
Similar violations spanned years before October 2023, have led to hundreds of casualties’, including fatalities, among the fishermen, in addition to destruction and confiscation of boats and the abduction of fishermen.
On the twelfth day of the ceasefire following 735 days of genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis remains dire, Gaza faces dire humanitarian conditions amidst ongoing Israeli violations and limited amount of humanitarian aid.
Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces continue to enforce a “fire control zone” up to 1.5 kilometers inside Gaza, preventing displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes.
The situation remains volatile, and the ceasefire hangs by a thread. As international actors scramble to preserve it, the people of Gaza continue to suffer under the weight of destruction, displacement, and grief.
The overall toll of Israel’s genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, has now reached more than 68,159 Palestinians killed and 170,203 wounded, the vast majority of them children, women, and the elderly. These figures reflect the scale of devastation and the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.
