On the morning of Friday, May 9, 2025, fisherman Ahmed Ali Othman Muqdad, aged 26, was reportedly killed and his brother Muhammad Ali Othman Muqdad, also a fisherman and aged 32, was seriously injured after Israeli naval forces allegedly fired shells and live rounds at their fishing boat off the coast of the northern Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City.

Reports from The Box News, Street Pulse, and Al Hadath Palestine state that the brothers were out at sea on a small fishing vessel when three shells struck their boat. According to Akhbarkom, the attack occurred around 6:30 a.m. as the brothers had just begun hauling in their nets. It is reported that naval vessels of the Israeli military, stationed offshore, fired three shells at their boat.

Ahmed reportedly died immediately, with shrapnel tearing through his body. Multiple sources—including Osama Abu Foul and Palestine Online—noted that his remains were scattered in the water, and his body was initially unrecovered. His brother Muhammad sustained severe injuries from shrapnel to the chest, abdomen, and pelvis and was transferred to the intensive care unit at al-Shifa Medical Complex. As of the time of reporting, he remained in critical condition, dependent on life support.

Their brother, Ayoub Muqdad, speaking to Palestine Online, described the trauma of searching for his brother’s remains: “One of the shells hit him directly and tore his body apart.” He added that they were coordinating with local fishermen to recover what they could in order to provide a dignified burial.

Ahmed Muqdad was a father of two young children: a toddler named Ali and an infant daughter, Karaz, who was not yet three months old. According to Akhbarkom, the family’s home had previously been destroyed in the war, and they had been living in tents nearby. The fishing boat, which supported multiple family members, was completely destroyed in the strike.

Where possible, the names of the victims have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023, the MoH has released a number of lists, along with an additional list of medical professionals, which was released on September 17, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, the name of Ahmed was matched to the tenth “Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza”, which was released on July 16, 2025.

All sources that identified a belligerent attributed the strike to Israeli forces.