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Qatar News Agency reported that two Palestinian fishermen were injured on October 18, 2026, when an Israeli drone dropped an explosive device toward them as they worked off the coast of the Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City. Local sources told the agency that the incident occurred while the men were fishing in the area. The news service added that Israeli forces carried out additional actions across the Gaza Strip on the same day, including home demolitions and bombardments in several zones.
According to the Qatar News Agency dispatch, military vehicles opened fire on civilian residences and tents sheltering displaced people east of the Al-Tuffah and Al-Shuja’iya neighborhoods, alongside artillery shelling in those districts. In Al-Shuja’iya, an Israeli drone was reported to have detonated a container filled with explosives. These events were framed by Palestinian sources as part of persistent operations despite a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025.
Hospital sources in Gaza informed Qatar News Agency that six Palestinians, among them women and children, died the previous day from attacks in various parts of the territory, with dozens more sustaining injuries. The agency noted that such daily tallies have accumulated even after the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. Palestinian medical authorities continue to track casualties from gunfire, airstrikes and shelling.
A report by the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights documented that 235 Palestinian fishermen were killed and 143 others injured between October 2023 and October 2026, with Israeli actions also destroying or damaging 1,810 boats and 270 of 310 fishing stations along the coastline. The center said the naval blockade and repeated attacks have reduced the permitted fishing area to zero nautical miles at times, turning the sector into a high-risk livelihood. Thousands of families in Gaza have historically depended on fishing for income, a figure cited in multiple assessments of the enclave’s economy prior to the current conflict.
Coordinator of Gaza’s Fishermen’s Committees Zakaria Bakr has stated in prior interviews that only a small fraction of the pre-war fishing fleet remains operational, with production now at approximately 2 percent of former levels. Many fishermen still attempt to work close to shore using improvised equipment despite the documented hazards from naval vessels and drones. Rights organizations including the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights have repeatedly called for an end to targeting of civilians engaged in fishing.
The Gaza Ministry of Health has placed the number of Palestinians killed since the October 2025 ceasefire at more than 1,400, according to figures referenced in regional reporting. This total encompasses incidents similar to the latest drone strike and shelling events. The Israeli military has not issued immediate comments on the specific October 18 actions detailed by Qatari state media.
