Two Palestinians killed by Egypt and Israel in Gaza and West Bank

Egyptian forces shot dead a Palestinian teen who was on a boat fishing in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, on Thursday evening.

Firas Meqdad, 17, was rushed to the hospital but died half an hour later from his wounds.

Dr Ashraf al-Qidra, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, confirmed Meqdad’s death.

“Firas Meqdad, a fisherman, was shot in the stomach by a bullet from the Egyptian army, which led to his death,” Qidra said.

Nizar Ayyash, the head of the fishermen's union, stated that the boat Meqdad was on was in Palestinian territorial waters, and that access to the Egyptian side was impossible. The shooting of the young man, Qidra said, was without justification.

The Egyptian army has not yet commented.

This is not the first time that the Egyptian army has targeted Palestinians in Gaza over the past two years. Fishermen in Gaza are also subjected to similar attacks by the Israeli army.

In 2010, Mohammed Ibrahim al-Bardawil died from injuries sustained after an Egyptian gunship repeatedly rammed his boat, causing it to capsize. Bardawil was fishing with his son, who suffered from light wounds.

As recently as January of this year, 17-year-old Zaki al-Houbi was shot by Egyptian forces near the Gaza-Egypt border. Ambulances were prevented from arriving to the site, and Houbi bled to death.

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot dead 22-year-old Malik Talal al-Sharif on Thursday near a bus stop by the Gush Etzion settlement bloc southwest of Bethlehem. According to the army, Sharif tried to carry out a stabbing attack before he was shot. No soldiers were injured.

Israeli sources revealed that soldiers tried to arrest Sharif as he approached them near the bus station, but he allegedly took out a knife and was subsequently shot and killed immediately.

“A Palestinian armed with a knife attempted to stab a soldier,” said an Israeli army spokesperson to Maan News Agency. “Forces on the site shot the assailant.”

Since the beginning of October, 73 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. Ten Israelis were killed in the same time period.