Abstract

The Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus Smith 1828), the largest cartilaginous fish and the third largest living creature in the world, is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical waters of the world’s oceans. On October 17, 2025, a Whale Shark was sighted and caught off the coast of Khan Younis in the Mediterranean Sea, southern Gaza Strip, Palestine. This study investigates the incident of sighting, catching, and consuming a Whale Shark specimen by starving Gazan fishermen and displaced people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on October 17, 2025. The current descriptive study relied on collecting data and images related to the first documented Whale Shark in the Mediterranean Sea off Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, through monitoring news sites and social media platforms. Discussions and consultations were also held with various stakeholders, including fishermen who caught this massive creature and displaced people who consumed its meat. Several local sources claimed that the Gazan Whale Shark was between 7 and 8 meters long and weighed about 2.3 tons, and that its meat was consumed by 3,000 to 4,000 Gazans, most of whom were displaced people forced to leave their homes due to the Israeli war of genocide (2023-2025). This rare incident represented the fourth sighting of this creature in the Mediterranean Sea, following sightings in Türkiye in 2021, Spain in 2022, and Syria in 2025. It is strongly believed that this species was a Lessepsian migrant. Many media outlets and social media platforms covered the incident of Whale Shark capture and its exploitation by the starving Gazans shortly after the Israeli war of genocide (2023-2025). In contrast, most tweeters considered the Whale Shark in question a blessing from heaven bestowed by the Mediterranean Sea upon the oppressed Gazans, victims of the blatant and ongoing crimes of the Israeli occupation.

Keywords:Whale Shark; Rhincodon typus; Globally endangered; First record; Mediterranean Sea; Lessepsian migrant; Capture; Consumption; Starving and displaced Gazans; Israeli war of genocide (2023-2025). Gaza Strip; Palestine