Egyptian naval forces shoot dead fisherman in southern Gaza: medics

Egyptian naval forces shot dead a Palestinian fisherman on Thursday when he was on boat fishing in southern Gaza Strip waters close to the Egyptian territorial water, medics said.

A spokesman of Gaza health ministry told reporters that the killed fisherman is called Firas Miqdad, 17 years old from Gaza city, adding that Miqdad's body was taken to a Palestinian hospital in southern Gaza.

In Gaza, there are 3,000 fishermen and the fishing area that Israel allows for fishermen is six miles into the sea.

Israeli naval forces usually fire on the boats of the fishermen who sail more than six miles.

Egyptian naval forces also prevent Gaza Strip fishermen from reaching its waters in fear of smuggling people and weapons to Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.

Egypt has been closing down it borders with the Gaza Strip since the ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 due to the ties between Egypt and Hamas deteriorated.

However, Egypt sometimes reopens Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip for humanitarian cases of patients and students, while Egypt says that keeping the crossing permanently opened would harm its national security. Endit