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Israel denies carrying out deadly airstrike in northern Gaza

Xinhua,December 12, 2017 Adjust font size:

JERUSALEM, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military on Tuesday denied it carried out an airstrike which killed two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Media reports said two Palestinians, identified as Islamic Jihad militants, were killed in an Israeli airstrike while riding a motorcycle in Gaza.

A spokesperson for the Israeli military, however, denied the reports in a statement.

"Contrary to reports earlier today, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) did not attack in the northern Gaza Strip," the statement said.

Overnight between Monday and Tuesday, an Israeli tank and an aircraft attacked northern Gaza. The spokesperson said they targeted Hamas posts in retaliation for a rocket fired earlier in the night by an unidentified group in Gaza.

The spokesperson also said the military holds the Hamas responsible for any hostile act from Gaza.

The tension between the besieged Palestinian enclave and Israel has been on the rise since U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital last week. Enditem