An Israeli army reconnaissance aircraft crashed in northern Gaza Strip Sunday and sources said that militants from Hamas, the Islamist group controlling the enclave, seized the fallen drone.

The Israeli army said in a brief statement that technical malfunction caused the drone to fall.

It crashed just 500 meters far from the borderline between northeastern Gaza Strip and Israel.

A Hamas security source said that the drone's kind is "Casper" and it is held by al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.

Islam Shahwan, spokesman of Hamas-run Ministry of Interior, told reporters that the security forces are checking the report.

The incident comes days after Israeli forces and militants from Hamas clashed in southeastern Gaza Strip, where four Hamas militants were killed in the deadliest fighting in almost a year.