Police launched an investigation Tuesday morning after a blaze broke out at a sheepfold in the Samu'a area near Hebron. Findings from the inquiry indicated that, despite claims circulating in parts of the media, the incident was not a nationalist attack by Israelis but the result of a technical malfunction.
The fire killed around 50 sheep. Palestinian Arab sources initially alleged that the blaze was a deliberate act of arson carried out by Jews, an accusation that was repeated by some news outlets.
According to police, forensic investigators working alongside a fire investigation team from the Fire and Rescue Services Judea and Samaria District conducted an initial examination of the scene.
Their assessment concluded that an electrical failure sparked the fire, igniting tarpaulin coverings over the sheepfold and leading to the deaths of the animals.