Hamas has claimed to have captured an Israeli 'killer dolphin' spy armed with 'weapons capable of assassinating' its fighters off the coast of Gaza.
A video posted online by the Palestinian organisation's military wing claimed one of its naval combat units had discovered and captured the hostile aquatic operative while at sea.
It said the naval unit were chased by the alleged Israeli intelligence agent, which was wearing a harness equipped with weapons capable of 'assassinating' Hamas fighters.
Spokesperson Abu Hamza said in the video that the dolphin was found by one of the group's fighters.
Israel has a fleet of 'Dolphin-class' submarines but Hamas's video made it clear that the group was referring to the mammal and not the boats.
They showed footage of a harness, allegedly taken from the captured spy, which was loaded with a spear gun-like weapon - but looked similar to devices used in US, Russian and Ukrainian naval marine experiments.
Israel has not responded to the allegations.
Hamas has claimed Israel has 'killer dolphin' spies that carry weapons and are capable of assassinating its fighters (pictured, an mock-up of the alleged aquatic spies by defence analyst H I Sutton, known as Covert Shores)
A video posted online by Hamas's military wing showed the harness allegedly taken from the captured spy, which was loaded with a spear gun-like weapon
The alleged harness was conical and could have been attached to the dolphin's snout - similar to devices used in US, Ukrainian and Russian marine programs
The alleged harness was conical and could have been attached to the dolphin's snout - similar to harnesses used by US, Ukrainian and Russian naval marine programs, according to defence analyst H I Sutton.
It is not the first time Hamas has claimed Israel's intelligence agency Mossad is using dolphins to spy - in August 2015, the group said it had captured one of the alleged secret agents.
Hamas said one of its military brigades' naval units had captured the dolphin off the coast of Gaza in July 2015 after detecting movement outside port.
Israeli outlets reported at the time that the aquatic mammal was found with 'spying equipment', including a remote control, camera and a harpoon-like weapon thought capable of killing, or seriously injuring, someone.
The device was conical and could have been attached to the dolphin's snout - similar to harnesses used by US and Russia's marine programs, (pictured) according to defence analyst H I Sutton
The Ukrainian army has been using the underwater mammals since the 70s, and they remained under Kiev's command after the collapse of the Soviet Union
It was brought ashore and examined, though no photos of the alleged marine secret agent were released.
Arabic outlet Al-Quds, which first reported the news, said at the time that the dolphin had been 'stripped of its will' and turned into 'a murderer' by Israeli security forces.
The report added the use of dolphins for espionage missions showed the 'anger' and 'indignation' of the Israeli's at the formation of Hamas's naval combat unit.
Israel has previously been accused of harnessing animals for spying purposes. In 2013, Turkish media claimed that birds tagged with Israeli university tracking devices were being sent on espionage missions.
In 2012, an eagle with an Israeli tag in Sudan was captured and touted as a Mossad spy.
While in 2011, Saudi Arabian authorities detained a vulture on suspicion of espionage for Israel after mistaking a tracking device it was carrying for a spy gadget.
And a year earlier, an Egyptian official said Israel-controlled sharks could be involved in a number of attacks on tourists in the Red Sea.
The 2015 report marked the first known allegations that Israel is using dolphins for espionage missions.