Gaza fishermen concerned after shooting by Egyptian naval police
- 11 years ago
A quiet day on the shores of Gaza - one day after Egyptian naval police reportedly shot and wounded two Palestinian fishermen and detained five.
Gaza officials say the group was sailing towards Egyptian waters when forces opened fire at them.
The wounded pair avoided arrest and were only lightly hurt.
But the incident hints at increased tension between Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers and Cairo since the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July.
Some fishermen said they felt betrayed by Egypt.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) NADER FISHERMAN, AL-MASRI, SAYING:
"We are used to the Jews' behaviour but as for the Egyptians, it is new to us. We demand that the government in Egypt provide easier access for fishermen and give them more space to fish."
Israel maintains a naval blockade of the enclave citing security concerns and its forces have often shot at Gaza boats
But there is no previous record of the Egyptians opening fire - though Cairo has w
Gaza officials say the group was sailing towards Egyptian waters when forces opened fire at them.
The wounded pair avoided arrest and were only lightly hurt.
But the incident hints at increased tension between Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers and Cairo since the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July.
Some fishermen said they felt betrayed by Egypt.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) NADER FISHERMAN, AL-MASRI, SAYING:
"We are used to the Jews' behaviour but as for the Egyptians, it is new to us. We demand that the government in Egypt provide easier access for fishermen and give them more space to fish."
Israel maintains a naval blockade of the enclave citing security concerns and its forces have often shot at Gaza boats
But there is no previous record of the Egyptians opening fire - though Cairo has w