(AKI) - An Israeli air strike killed two Palestinian teenagers and injured four others on Tuesday in southern Gaza. "The IDF targeted a militant squad that launched a mortar against Israel from the southern Gaza Strip in the past hour. Approximately six mortars were launched against Israel from the same proximity today," said the Israel Defense Forces website in a statement.Israeli helicopters launched an attack on a road leading to the disused Yasser Arafat Airport, located east of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, said Palestinian news agency Maan. The victims were identified as 15-year-old Ramzi ad-Duheini and 17-year-old Ahmad Hammad. Israeli media says the victims were brothers.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli military vehicles entered the airport area, only to be confronted by Palestinian militants who fired eight mortar rounds at the troops.
Hamas' militant wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the launching of mortars in a statement, calling it "a response to Zionist aggression."
"These operations are part of the repelling operations against the occupation assaults on Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and as a response for the ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people," the statement said.
Despite the clashes, both the Israeli government and the Gaza-ruling Islamist movement Hamas have not called an end to the fragile truce declared in June.