A Palestinian man looks at the scene of an explosion in the southern Gaza Strip on April 14, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Ibraheem Abu Mustafa.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group said four of its members were killed in an apparent accidental blast in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

The group said in a statement that it was “mourning its fighters who were martyred during preparations.”

It usually employs those terms to refer to casualties caused by the accidental detonation of weapons or explosives used in attacks against Israel.

The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed four fatalities in the incident. Medics at the scene in the Rafah area said the explosion was caused by Israel. But an Israeli military spokesman said the army was not involved.

“Contrary to reports currently circulating I can tell you that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is not aware of any IDF fire in the area surrounding Rafah,” the spokesman said.