Palestinian officials said Wednesday that a fisherman has been shot dead by Egyptian naval forces off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

Nizzar Ayyash of the fishermen’s union said that 32-year-old Mustafa Abu Ouda had been fishing alone in his boat off the coast of the southern border town of Rafah on Wednesday.

Ayyash said at least three fishermen have been killed by Egyptian fire in recent years.

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However, in Cairo, an Egyptian official denied the charge, Reuters reported.

Egypt has been battling an Islamic insurgency in the neighboring Sinai peninsula since 2013. Its army has imposed a buffer zone along the Gaza border and beefed up maritime security.

Egypt and Israel have also maintained a blockade on Hamas-controlled Gaza since the Islamic group took power in 2007, to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons and arms into the Strip.

Hamas called on Egypt to investigate Wednesday’s shooting.

Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report