Israel: Laden with “several hundred kilograms of explosivesâ€:
JERUSALEM
A Palestinian fishing boat packed with explosives blew up on Monday off the coast of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported, the Israeli army said.
"A suspicious Palestinian fishing boat that was off the coast of Gaza City and laden with explosives blew up," a military spokesman said.
Earlier the army said that it had blown up the suspect vessel, but the spokesman said that version of events was incorrect, and "there was no fire against the boat."
An Israeli navy vessel was "a good distance" from the fishing boat when the explosion occurred, he said.
Israeli chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi was later quoted as saying that the incident was a failed attack and that the fishing boat had "several hundred of kilograms of explosives" on board.
Palestinian witnesses confirmed that an explosion had taken place on a boat off the coast of the impoverished Palestinian territory, but that there were no casualties.