The Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip claim their naval commandos have captured a unique Israeli spy: a dolphin working in the service of the Mossad, Israel's Army Radio reported on Wednesday.

The aquatic mammal was allegedly equipped with various spying devices, including a camera, and the organization said it was caught off the Gaza coast a few weeks ago.

The Israeli Navy has a fleet of "Dolphin class" submarines, but Army Radio made it clear that Hamas was talking about the real air-breathing animal.

Such accusations are nothing new in the Middle East: Five years ago Egyptian authorities accused Israel of sending sharks to attack tourists off the Sinai beaches to harm Egypt's tourism industry, and two years later Sudan reported it had caught another Mossad spy - an eagle that had been tagged in Israel.

Dolphins have been used by various militaries in the past, including those of the United States and the Soviet Union, and now Russia. The U.S. Navy says it only uses the animals for missions such as detecting mines and rescuing swimmers - and not for attacking people or carrying weapons.