Two Palestinian militants killed in Gaza 'preparing attack on Israel'

Two Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants riding on a motorcycle in Gaza were killed in an explosion on Tuesday which the group implied was caused by an accidental detonation during preparations for an attack.

The deaths followed rockets fired last night into Israel from the Gaza Strip and come amid continuing protests at President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital last week.

In a statement after Tuesday's explosion, Islamic Jihad said: "We mourn the men - 'martyrs of preparation'". The group usually employs the term to refer to casualties caused by the accidental detonation of weapons or explosives used in attacks against Israel.

Qudra named the two men as Hussein Ghazi Nasrallah and Mustafa al-Sultan, both in their 20s.

Family members at the hospital where the bodies were taken told AFP the two men were members of Islamic Jihad, an Islamist group that fought alongside Hamas in the last war with Israel in 2014.

Earlier Tuesday, four Palestinians were wounded, one seriously, by Israeli gunfire as they protested near the Israeli border fence in eastern Gaza City.

Violence along the Israel-Gaza border has flared since Mr Trump's decision last week.

In addition to border protests, Palestinian militants have fired several rockets at Israel in recent days, sparking Israeli retaliatory airstrikes and shelling. Two Hamas militants and two demonstrators were killed over the weekend.

On Monday, Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted a rocket fired by militants in Gaza. Shortly afterward, Israel responded with tank fire and air strikes targeting positions of Hamas.