On the morning of Friday 7th of June 2024, at least one civilian was killed and four others were injured in an alleged Israeli ground operation with snipers who attacked the Fisherman’s port in the west of the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.

The one civilian death was identified as 35-year-old Muhammad Issa al-Riyati, reported by both his family on Facebook and a number of other media outlets.

An injured civilian shared that Muhammad was a resident of the Al-Shaboura refugee camp. His nephew, Hamad Zoroub, posted on Facebook: “We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. The martyrdom of my uncle Muhammad Issa al-Riyati [in] The Rafah Sea area [near] the ‘Al-Alam Roundabout’, in between the rubble of injured people in this place.” He shared a video of Muhammad digging through the rubble during a different incident that previously allegedly targeted the al-Riyati family.

Nour Alaa, the cousin of his wife, shared a condolence message reading: “May God give patience to your heart, my beloved cousin. He will compensate you with good compensation for your husband. May God help you raise your children.”

Youssef al-Riyati also wrote a condolence message on Facebook, compiled with a screenshot of the video of Muhammad digging through the rubble. The message reads: “We belong to God and to Him we shall return. My nephew, the young martyr named Muhammad Issa Awad Al-Riyati, has passed away to the mercy of God Almighty. May God accept him with the martyrs and friends.”

A Facebook post by Kalefalqtiea reported that a “number of casualties” were transported away from the area and another clarified that 4 injured civilians were transported away from the scene. The incident has been linked to alleged Israeli gunfire which struck displaced people seeking refuge in the fisherman’s port, according to Safa News.

Muhammad’s name was matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities in Gaza released July 24 2024.