Six Hamas members killed in 'accidental' blast

Six members of Hamas have been killed in an “accidental” explosion in Gaza, according to local Palestinian media.

The group says the blast occurred on Saturday night in the central Gaza Strip.

Gaza media reported the explosion was a "work accident," meaning the militants were killed when explosives they were dealing with went off.

Earlier, a group of Palestinians breached the border fence with Israel and briefly entered its territory.

It came a day after Palestinians staged a sixth weekly mass protest on the border.

Forty-nine Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since protests along the Gaza border on 30 March, and hundreds of others have been wounded by gunfire.

The past few weeks have seen tensions rise between Hamas-ruled Gaza and Israel.

Mass protests erupted on 30 March - dubbed "Great Return March" - which have centred on the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, after they were expelled following the 1948 creation of Israel.

Israel says the right of return would mean the end of the Jewish state, and accuses the Palestinian party Hamas of using the protests as a pretext for violence.

The protests along the Gaza border quickly turned deadly, with Israeli forces responding with live ammunition. At least 1,600 protesters have been wounded by gunfire or needed treatment for tear gas inhalation in the weeks of protests.

No Israelis have been reported hurt.

Click here to view an updated list of the Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza since Friday March 30.