Israel killed two Hamas militants in air strikes on Gaza on Friday, and two Palestinian protesters were killed in clashes with Israeli forces along the enclave's border.

The strikes were a response to gunfire from southern Gaza that wounded two Israeli soldiers, the Israeli military said.

Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Palestinian enclave, said two members of its armed wing had been killed and three wounded when Israel bombed one of its positions in central Gaza.

Later on Friday, two Palestinians shot by Israeli troops while taking part in weekly protests along the border died of their wounds, Gaza health officials said.



The sniper fire occurred during the "March of Return" protest that took place at five locations across the Gaza Strip border on Friday. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that 40 Palestinians were injured, including a reporter hit in the head by an IDF rubber bullet. cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); }); Roughly 2,500 Palestinians protested at the Gaza Strip border, Maariv reported. An IDF combat soldier and a female soldier were injured in the attack. They were evacuated to the hospital.The sniper fire occurred during the "March of Return" protest that took place at five locations across the Gaza Strip border on Friday.The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that 40 Palestinians were injured, including a reporter hit in the head by an IDF rubber bullet.Roughly 2,500 Palestinians protested at the Gaza Strip border, Maariv reported.

Following the sniper fire, the IDF shelled Bureij refugee camp at the center of the Gaza strip and protesters began to back off.

Hundreds of incendiary balloons were used by Hamas last week to cause damage in the south of the country, which led to an IAF strike in the Gaza Strip against Hamas targets.

Earlier on Friday, IDF forces arrested a Palestinian armed with a knife as he attempted to cross the Gaza border fence into Israel.

On Friday night, the IAF struck a Hamas post in the Gaza Strip following sniper fire Palestinian protesters opened upon IDF forces, according to the IDF Spokesperson