Palestinians say two Gaza fishermen shot dead by Egypt

Mourners chant slogans during the funeral of two Palestinian fishermen, brothers Hassan and Mahmoud AL-Zazou, in front of their family house in Deir el-Balah refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. The bodies of the two fishermen, who were killed by Egyptian naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea, were returned Saturday, the Gaza Interior Ministry said. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

DEIR EL-BALAH: Hundreds of mourners on Sunday buried two Gaza fisherman shot dead at sea, as the Palestinian fishing union blamed Egypt and demanded an investigation.
Three brothers were fishing on Friday in the Mediterranean Sea off the Gaza Strip, a crowded sliver of land sandwiched between Egypt and Israel, when their boat was hit by gunfire.
Two died and their bodies were returned to Gaza by Egyptian forces, the union said, while the third brother was wounded and remains in Egypt.
Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas also blamed the Egyptian army. There was no immediate comment from Egyptian officials.
Hundreds gathered Sunday in the central Gaza district of Deir Al-Balah to bury the men. Their mother pleaded with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to let her surviving son Yasser Zaazoua come home.
Israeli security forces, who have imposed a blockade for Gaza for 13 years, say fishing is sometimes used as a cover for smuggling.
Directly south of Gaza is Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where security forces are battling both clandestine trade and extremist groups.