GAZA (Reuters) – Three Palestinian fishermen were killed on Sunday when their boat exploded from the Gaza Strip, an explosion believed to be caused by stray Palestinian rockets, according to a human rights group.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights said the boat was two kilometers from the sea when the shell hit it and “completely destroyed” it.
“The center condemns the incident, which indicates that it probably took place as a result of resistance exercises,” the statement said, referring to Palestinian militant groups.
Israel’s military has denied any involvement in the incident, saying ‘our indications are that their deaths were caused by an explosion in Gaza’.
The Gaza Interior Ministry, led by the Islamic State group Hamas, said it was investigating the incident.
Hamas’ armed wing said it had opened an investigation into the “painful incident” and would publish the results as soon as possible.
(Reporting by Nidal Almughrabi; Editing by Frances Kerry)