Six dead as Gaza disposal team tackles Israeli missile Published duration 13 August 2014

image copyright AFP image caption The deaths came amid a truce in Gaza scheduled to end late on Wednesday

Six people were killed in the Gaza Strip when an Israeli missile exploded amid attempts to dismantle it.

The dead included two journalists - an Italian and a Palestinian - and a number of bomb disposal officers.

The incident happened in the town of Beit Lahiya, in the north of the Gaza Strip

It comes hours before a three-day ceasefire agreed between Israel and the Palestinians is due to expire.

image copyright AP image caption Simone Camilli: the first foreign journalist to be killed in Gaza in the current wave of conflict

Indirect talks aimed at finding a long-term solution to the Gaza conflict having been taking place in Cairo involving negotiators from the two sides.

Among those killed in Wednesday's explosion was Simone Camilli, a video journalist working for several international agencies, including Associated Press.

Some 2,000 people have died since the fighting in Gaza began on 8 July.

Those killed include more than 1,900 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the UN.