Gaza - A terrible accident occurred at a zoo in the Gaza Strip when a lion killed a six-year-old boy. The tragedy is now being investigated.

The animal killed the six-year-old after he got too close to the cage, police in the area said.

The incident occurred at the Asdaa amusement park near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. Police closed the private zoo afterward to investigate the circumstances.

Officials reported Hamada Eqtaiet had climbed the fence surrounding the lion until he reached an opening, where he was attacked.

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The boy's family has apparently refuted the claims, saying he was attacked after having reached only an outer fence.

It is the first known death by a predator in the Gaza Strip. International animal rights activists have claimed on several occasions that wild animals in the Palestinian territory are kept in private zoos under disastrous conditions.

In the past, animal welfare organization Four Paws described one zoo in Khan Yunis as the "worst zoo" in the world, where dozens of animals have reportedly died of starvation.

In 2019, the organization rescued 47 zoo animals from Gaza, including five lions. Some of them were rehomed at sanctuaries is South Africa.

The ongoing conflict between the Islamic Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and Israel complicates living conditions in the Palestinian territory. Israel tightened a blockade of the coastal area in 2007, which is supported by Egypt.