Hamas says Gaza fishermen were killed by exploding Israeli drone caught in net

The Hamas Interior Ministry says that an explosion that killed three fishermen off the coast of Gaza on Sunday was caused when they brought a toppled Israeli drone into their net.

“The three fishermen from the Al-Lahham family were killed due to the detonation of an explosive device installed on a Quadcopter helicopter belonging to the Israeli occupation, which got stuck in their nets and exploded while they were extracting it,” the Interior Ministry says.

The Interior Ministry denies an experimental Hamas rocket or mortar struck the boat, as witnesses had previously testified to local human rights groups.

“The fishermen were outside the range of the resistance’s rockets,” the Interior Ministry says.

The Gaza fishing zone extends approximately 17 miles off the coast of the enclave. Hamas rockets have been seen to reach as far as Tel Aviv, which lies about 40 miles north of the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian fishermen take to the Mediterranean Sea in Gaza City on June 18, 2019. (Mahmud Hams/AFP)

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