Palestinian boy mauled to death by lion in private Gaza zoo

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Palestinian boy was mauled to death by a lion in a private zoo in the Gaza Strip. That’s according to the coastal territory’s police force, run by the militant Hamas group. Police officers say 6-year-old Hamada Iqtiet had climbed the fence in the zoo in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, and reached an opening in the cage before the lion mauled him on Monday. The boy’s family disputed the account, saying the boy had only reached an outer fence when he was attacked. It was the first known fatality from animals kept at run-down private zoos in the crowded and impoverished Palestinian territory.