PalArabs deny booby-trapped boat had explosives

Ma'an:

The Palestinian Agriculture Ministry in Gaza slammed on Tuesday Israeli allegations that Palestinians attempted to attack an Israeli warship using an explosive-laden fishing boat on Monday morning.

The ministry said in a statement that Israel’s account of Monday’s events was “trumped up story aimed at escalating aggression against fishermen” and “an excuse for piracy and destruction.”

The Agriculture Ministry said it has spoken with eyewitnesses who said the boat contained no explosives, and that it exploded only when an Israeli warship shelled it.

The Israeli military’s Chief of Staff, Gabi Ashkenazi, maintained the Israeli version of events saying, “The fishing boat that was identified this morning by Israel Navy boats was booby-trapped with hundreds of kilograms of explosives."

“We assume that this was an attempt to attack one of the Israel Navy boats, an attempt that fortunately was not successful, thanks to the soldiers correctly implementing the regulations,” said Ashkenazi.

For some reason, the PA didn't explain why exactly this "fishing boat" that exploded so spectacularly after being shelled had no people on board. Perhaps the Gazans have perfected robot fishing techniques?