A Israeli siege of a mosque in Gaza has ended with the deaths of two Palestinian women and the escape of suspected gunmen.
The two women were killed by Israeli soldiers when they along with a group of others tried to make their way to a mosque occupied by Palestinian gunmen, most of whom managed to escape.
There had been a stand-off outside the mosque involving the gunmen and Israeli soldiers since Wednesday in one of Israel's biggest operations in Gaza for several months.
The women were heading to the mosque, allegedly to act as human shields.
Israeli soldiers found the mosque empty.
Earlier, an Israeli air strike killed four militants from Hamas as they travelled in a vehicle in northern Gaza.
In further violence, Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian militant in the West Bank and critically wounded his 15-year-old brother.
