Israel kills two Palestinian militants on Gaza border

Any hope of a calm festive period in the Middle East appears to have been shattered after Israeli forces killed two Palestinian gunmen in cross-border fighting.

Israel’s military said its troops, backed up by helicopters, shot the militants as they were planting explosives along the Gaza-Israel frontier. Islamic Jihad also confirmed two of its men had been killed.

The deaths come amid rising violence in the region and Islamic group Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, warned it would escalate hostilities further against Israel if tensions on the border don’t subside.

Earlier, the Israeli cabinet met to discuss the situation which comes only a day before the second anniversary of the start of the 2008 Gaza conflict.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has said it will not tolerate palestinian militants firing rockets into Israel, something it accuses them of doing.

Elsewhere, on Israel’s other border with the West Bank, Israeli troops scuffled with activists at a checkpoint. The protesters had gathered to rally against Israel’s restrictions on the movement of Palestinians during the Christmas period.

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