ISRAEL'S agriculture ministry tested turkeys that died on farms in the western Negev region for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, Israel media said.
Army Radio and the YNetNews service said the turkeys were suspected of dying from the virus, although the possible type was unclear.
The region where the turkeys died was close to the Gaza Strip. Officials from the agriculture ministry were not immediately available for comment.
There have been no confirmed cases of the bird flu virus in Israel or Palestinian areas, although authorities have looked into several false alarms.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu has spread with alarming speed in recent weeks across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia.
The more it spreads, the greater the fears of the virus mutating into a form that could easily pass from one person to another, triggering a pandemic in which millions could die
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