Three Palestinian fishermen who died in an offshore blast on Sunday were killed by an explosive-laden Israeli drone that had fallen into the sea and blew up in their nets, the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza said on Thursday.
The men – two brothers and a cousin – were working off the coast of the southern town of Khan Younis when the explosion happened.
At the time of the blast, the Israeli military denied any involvement in the incident.
The explosion came at a time when Palestinian militants were test-firing rockets into the sea, and a Gaza-based human rights group, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, said on Sunday the fishing boat may have been hit by accident.
But Eyad Al Bozom, the Gaza interior ministry spokesman, said no Palestinian rocket had hit the fishing boat, and that parts of an Israeli quadcopter drone that carried explosives were discovered in its nets. The drone blew up as the fishermen were lifting their nets, killing all three, he said.
Half an hour before the explosion, the fisherman found another drone caught in their nets but were able to recover it safely and hand it over to maritime police, he said.
The interior ministry said the two explosive-laden drones matched.
Mr Al Bozom said the drones had probably been in the water since an Israeli attack on a Palestinian naval craft on February 22 off Gaza.
The Israeli military said at the time its forces noticed suspicious naval activity off Gaza's shore and thwarted a "potential threat to Israeli naval vessels", without elaborating on the weapons used.
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The Israeli military rarely comments publicly on the use of explosives-carrying drones.
The investigation by the interior ministry ruled out a local missile being misfired, saying "the site of the explosion of the three fishermen's boat was completely outside the range of the missile firing range".
Hamas, an Islamist militant group, took control of Gaza in 2007, and the seaside strip, home to two million Palestinians, has since been under a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt, which cite security concerns for the measure.
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Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
