Palestinian Fisherman Critically Wounded by Israeli Gunfire

A Palestinian fisherman was severely wounded on Saturday after the Israeli navy opened fire at his vessel off the coast of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

“A fisherman was critically wounded and admitted to the hospital,” a Palestinian medical source said.

Witnesses said that the boat was completely destroyed by direct rockets.

Around 4,000 fishermen work in Gaza, but more than half live below the poverty line.

The waters off Rafah town straddling the Gaza-Egypt border have become an increasingly important smuggling route since Egyptian security forces destroyed a network of tunnels under the border.