Two killed after Israel strikes Gaza overnight

The Gaza health ministry announced on Sunday morning the death of two Palestinians hit by Israeli airstrikes in eastern Jabaliya, in the north of the Gaza Strip.

Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the ministry, said in a statement: "The bodies of two martyrs arrived at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, after Israeli forces targeted eastern Jabaliya. They have been named as Ayman Nafez Rabie al-Najjar, 24, and Muhannad Majed Jamal Hamouda, 24."

Pictures of the pair were circulated on social media in the wake of their deaths.

According to reports in Gaza, the airstrike targeted a group of young men gathered near a cemetery.

The Israeli military has not released any statements on the deaths.

Sunday's strike is the fourth Israeli strike on the enclave in two weeks, signalling a dangerous flare-up as tensions escalate.

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On Saturday, thousands gathered for the funerals of three Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire during a protest, including 11-year-old Majdi al-Satari, 17-year-old Moumin al-Hams and Ghazi Abu Mustafa, a 43-year-old who used crutches.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is reportedly close to reaching a deal with Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, alongside coordination with Egypt, the UN and the US, to implement measures to ease the acute economic and humanitarian suffering in Gaza.

Israeli army commanders have allegedly been asking for such measures to be put in place, warning that the blockade on the enclave is stoking unrest and bringing the region closer to a full-blown war.

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