Before 7:03 AM on April 27th, 2025, Palestinian fisherman 55-year-old Mustafa Hijazi Saleh al-Lahham (also known as Abu Yahya) was reportedly shot in the head and killed by Israeli naval forces while working off the coast of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. A second fisherman, Ahmed Fares Hijazi al-Lahham, identified by sources as Mustafa’s nephew, was reportedly wounded in the same incident.
Tributes shared by the al-Lahham family confirmed Mustafa’s identity and stated that he had been “directly targeted by treacherous bullets from warships in the sea of Khan Younis.” Other sources, including friends and relatives, mourned his death and reported that the two victims were attacked while “they were fishing to meet the needs of their families for food and drink, despite the danger of the current situation.” The Fishermen’s Syndicate in Gaza also condemned the killing.
X/Twitter user @Qadeyah1 shared a picture of Mustafa, a middle-aged man wearing a grey sweatshirt sailing at sea. Ahmed Abu Hisham shared another picture of Mustafa on Facebook, where he can be seen showing a thumbs up looking at the camera while wearing a greenish blue long-sleeve shirt. Lastly, Doaa Ahmed shared a third picture of him, in which he is wearing a black leather jacket and a black and white sweater underneath. He was remembered as “kind and decent.”
Ashraf Ashour, speaking of the wounded Ahmed, prayed that “may dear Ahmed recover completely and quickly, leaving no illness.” Both men were brought to the Nasser Hospital after the attack.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli military.