A six-year-old boy died after being bitten by a caged lioness in the southern Gaza Strip, authorities in the small Palestinian territory said on Monday, AFP reported.

The boy climbed over a security fence at the Asda tourist complex in Khan Younis and then entered the cat’s cage, which attacked him, according to police, who announced they had launched an investigation.

According to the witness, the lioness bit the cub on the head, which slipped into the cage after finding a hole in the fence. The child was taken to the hospital, where he died of his injuries, a source in medical institutions said.

The Asda tourist complex is home to two felines – a lion and a lioness, as well as numerous birds. On Monday, after the tragedy, it was closed by the authorities.

The city of Khan Younis is famous for having the “worst zoo in the world”, which the NGO “Four Paws” called the “worst zoo”. Opened in 2007, the zoo was closed in 2016 when the owners struggled to get food and left many animals to starve.

The Gaza Strip, a territory of 2.3 million people, suffers from a poverty rate of around 60 percent, exacerbated by Israel’s strict blockade since 2007.