Two Hamas commanders were among six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces during a raid in southern Gaza, sparking a dramatic uptick in violence that many fear could push the two sides to the brink of another war.

Officials within Hamas, the militant group that runs Gaza, told The Independent that two of its brigade commanders were shot dead after coming under fire by Israeli special forces during an alleged abduction attempt in the southern district of Khan Younis.

Gaza medical officials said that in total six were killed and six were injured. An Israeli soldier also died during the operation.

The Israeli army declined to comment on the details of the raid but confirmed there was an “exchange of fire” during ‘operational activity” in the Gaza strip. "An IDF officer was killed and an additional officer was moderately injured," they said in a statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short his visit to Paris to return home to Israel after the flare-up.

Speaking to The Independent Hamas officials named the deceased as local brigade commander Nour Baraka, and Mohammad Al-Qarra, who is believed to be his deputy.

On Sunday night residents of Khan Younis reported dozens of airstrikes by Israeli fighter jets and attack helicopters in the area.

“Because of ceasefire operations, ground forces commanders, believing there to be calm, visited checkpoints in Khan Younis on Sunday night. They were attacked by Israelis special forces in a car inside Gaza that opened fire directly at the commander and others,” the official said.

“Nearby checkpoints opened fire, and in the exchange of fire with the Israelis six [Palestinians] were killed. We have unconfirmed reports that two Israeli soldiers were also killed.”

Another Hamas official told The Independent Nour Baraka was just three kilometres away from the border when Israeli forces attempted to abduct him but killed him during the raid.

The official added: “The Israeli forces then tried to escape near to Khuza’a [a town in khan Younis]. There was an exchange of fire with the other checkpoints in the area, after that the Israelis launched a massive bombardment on Khan Younis to guarantee the safety of its forces.”

Israeli military denied earlier reports that any of its soldiers had been captured but would not confirm or deny whether any soldiers had been killed. The military also declined to elaborate any further about Sunday’s incident.

“There was an exchange of fire earlier this evening during operation activity of the IDF [Israeli army] on the Gaza Strip… No IDF soldiers were abducted,” an Israeli army spokeswoman said.

She added that air raid sirens warning of incoming rocket fire from Gaza sounded in southern Israel near to the enclave.

Sunday’s sudden outburst of violence was a dramatic turnaround, after a week of relative calm as Egypt-brokered negotiations for a permanent ceasefire had been making headway.

The two sides have stumbled towards the brink of war this summer in part because of eight months of protests in Gaza near the fence with Israel.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have marched on the border every Friday demanding the right to return to their ancestral lands now in Israel they were forced from or fled during the 1948 creation of Israel. Some have launched incendiary kites and balloons tied with explosives at southern Israeli lands.

The Israeli military responded with live fire, killing more than 218 Palestinians, a response UN General Assembly in June called "excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate”.

(AP (AP)

Israel has defended its actions saying the protesters are violent and repeatedly tried to breach the fence. A Palestinian sniper killed Israeli soldier Staff Sergeant Aviv Levi, 21, in July.

However last week, amid reports a peace deal was being tabled, Israel allowed Qatar to deliver $15m (£12m) in aid to Gaza's cash-strapped rulers in order to pay their government workers and agreed to expand fishing lanes from three to nine nautical miles.

Hamas responded by lowering the intensity of its Friday's border protest. For the second week in a row there were fewer burning tyres and fewer attempts to breach the border fence.

But hopes of a speedy peace settlement were destroyed with Sunday’s killings.

Residents of Khan Younis said shortly after the incident occurred over 40 missiles in the area where the incident took place.

“After 9pm we started hearing gunfire then explosions, and missiles from an F16 plane. We saw two apache helicopters as well firing live ammunition,” Mohamed, 28, a father-of-two told The Independent.

Palestinian mourners carry the bodies, draped in their national flag, of two of the three teenagers who were killed in an Israeli strike during their funeral in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip Photo: MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images (MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images)

He added that earlier that evening they noticed an unusually high level of Israeli surveillance drones circling the area.

“We were so scared because of his intensity of the bombing me and my children have been hiding in the centre of our house.”

After 9pm we started hearing gunfire then explosions, and missiles from an F16 plane. We were so scared because of his intensity of the bombing Mohamed, 27, father-of-two