Horrifying moment boy is fatally mauled by a lion at Palestinian zoo

This is the horrifying moment when a young boy was fatally mauled by a lion after reportedly climbing through the protective fence of a Palestinian zoo.

Police confirmed the death of six-year-old Hamada Iqtiet, who had visited a private zoo in the Gaza Strip with his family.

Local police in the disputed coastal area, which is controlled by the Palestinian terror group Hamas, said Hamada died yesterday.

Shocking footage shows the terrifying moment when the lion managed to capture and maul the child at the Asdaa Park zoo in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis.

Hamada seemed trapped behind the bars of the cage when the lion got hold of him.

Shocking footage shows the terrifying moment when the lion managed to capture and tear up the child at Asdaa Park Zoo

Footage from the scene after the event tragically showed bloodstains on the bars of the cage where the boy was said to have come through the protective fence.

Police spokesman Colonel Ayman Al-Batniji said Hamada had climbed through the fence when he was attacked by the lion, but the boy’s family disputed this.

They say that Hamada, who was with his mother and other relatives, got close to an outside enclosure where the lion was standing when he was attacked.

The officer confirmed that the police have decided to temporarily close the park until the investigation is completed.

It is reportedly the first time anyone has been killed by animals kept at one of the region’s several private zoos.

It sparked new calls for them to be closed because the animals cannot be properly cared for in the crowded and impoverished Palestinian area.

The animals are reportedly kept in appalling conditions and have suffered from repeated fighting between Israel and the Hamas rulers in Gaza, leading to neglect, starvation and lack of medical care.

Footage from a different angle also showed the terrifying moment when the lion got hold of the boy

Although animal welfare organizations have rescued several animals, many still remain in the strip, which is home to some two million people.

Earlier this year in Karnataka, South India, another 12-year-old boy was mauled by a tiger.

A few hours later, on February 13, his grandfather – identified as a 75-year-old tribal man – was attacked and killed in the same area.

Tragically, another family member died of shock after learning of the deaths.