Two Palestinians were martyred on Tuesday as Israeli air forces launched an airstrike on central Gaza.

Two Palestinians were martyred on Tuesday as Israeli air forces launched an airstrike on central Gaza.

The two raised to six the total number of Palestinians martyred in a series of Israeli strikes on Gaza since Monday.

The latest strike which killed two 17-year-old youths took place shortly after midnight near Deir al-Balah, but their bodies were only recovered after dawn "when an ambulance could get to the scene," medics told AFP.

Hospital staff named the pair as Mohammed Bassem Abu Mealiq and Yusef al-Talbani.
Initial reports spoke of two injured in the strike but it later transpired that they were dead.

The Israeli occupation military said it had targeted "a terrorist squad handling an explosive device" near the security fence in central Gaza.

For its part, Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, said its fighters had fired 10 Grad rockets at the occupied territories.
"This is our answer to the Zionist crimes. It will continue if they carry out more strikes on Gaza," a statement said, with a spokesman confirming it was the first time they had fired such longer-range rockets at Israel since April 2011.