Israel announced this evening that it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a Bulgarian citizen working for the UN system, who died today in an explosion in the Gaza Strip, Agence France-Presse reported. "Hamas" says it was an Israeli strike, while the Israeli army denies this.
"We express our sorrow over the death of a Bulgarian citizen, a UN employee in the Gaza Strip. The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated," wrote on the social network "Ex" Oren Marmorstein, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry. "We emphasize that the preliminary investigation has not established any connection to any activity" of the Israeli army in the area, he added.
Earlier this evening, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev spoke by phone with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar, who expressed condolences to the relatives of the deceased Bulgarian citizen. Saar explained that according to the Israel Defense Forces, the tragic incident is in no way related to their actions on land, air or water, but nevertheless the investigation into the case continues until the causes of the incident are finally clarified.