Israel denies Palestinian reports drone shot down over Gaza

PanARMENIAN.Net - An Israeli drone has come down in the northern Gaza Strip, with Israel denying Palestinian reports that it was shot down, BBC News reported.

The armed wing of Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, claimed it had shot down and seized the mini-drone.

But the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the crash was the result of a technical fault and the matter was being investigated.

Israel is among the world's biggest manufacturers of drones.

They are unmanned aerial vehicles which Israel uses to gather intelligence and, sometimes, to carry out attacks.

"IDF clarifies, in contradiction to Palestinian reports, that a 'Skylark' tactical mini UAV system crashed earlier today in the Gaza Strip due to a technical malfunction, and was not shot down by Palestinian militants," an IDF spokesperson told the BBC on Sunday, Nov 3.

"The IDF is looking into the matter."

But Hamas said fighters from its military wing, the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, had downed and seized the drone.

Hamas sources told the BBC that it came down east of Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip.

Last May, a drone of the same model crashed near Gaza, because of a technical error. Troops recovered the drone after a 12-hour search.