According to the military, one strike hit three militants in central Gaza as they were planting explosives, while another targeted several militants in Rafah, in southern Gaza.

The military has carried out near-daily strikes in Gaza, though a fragile ceasefire that took effect on January 19 has largely held, with Israel and Hamas refraining from returning to all-out war.

On Saturday, strikes in north Gaza's Beit Lahia city killed nine people, including four Palestinian journalists, the territory's civil defence agency said, in the deadliest attack on a single site since January 19.

Hamas condemned Saturday's attack as "a blatant violation of the ceasefire".

The Israeli military said it hit "a terrorist cell", adding that militants were operating a drone intended to carry out "terrorist attacks" against its troops.