At least six civilians were reportedly injured when Israeli naval forces allegedly fired shells at a fishing boat carrying six individuals in the Al-Zawayda sea, located in the central Gaza Strip On April 26, 2025. The injured were transported to Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat for medical treatment.

The incident was widely reported by various media outlets and circulated on social media platforms, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), through eyewitness accounts, photos, and videos.

According to Al-Ayyam newspaper, Abu Aziz, a 40-year-old fisherman and eyewitness, stated that shortly after the boat entered the Al-Zawayda sea, it was targeted by an Israeli gunboat, which fired shells directly at it. “Minutes after they went to sea, [Israeli] gunboats fired shells at them, some of which fell into the sea and one hit their boat. One of them tried to steer the boat back, and after a while, an ambulance came and took them to the hospital.” Abu Aziz added that they were no more than 400 meters into the Al-Zawayda Sea when the shelling occurred, and the six injured fishermen were initially transferred to a nearby clinic, then to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, to be treated for injuries of varying severity, including one in critical condition.

WAFA News Agency reported on their Facebook Page that six injured people in a fishing boat attacked at the coast of Al-Zawayda were transferred to a hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. They also shared a video from a medical facility showing all six victims, mostly in their early to mid-twenties. One man, wearing a black t-shirt and white pants, can be seen being carried into the hospital. Another teenager, wearing a black shirt and gray trousers, was surrounded by family while lying in a hospital bed. A third victim in a dark blue shirt and black t-shirt was also in a hospital bed, as was a fourth individual wearing black pants and a blue t-shirt. The final two men appeared to be in critical condition.

The news spread rapidly across Facebook, with at least 13 accounts or pages – ranging from individuals to news agencies – sharing the incident. Multiple sources quoted the al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat as reporting the six injuries.

Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the shelling to the Israeli military.