An Israeli air strike has killed five militants in the Gaza Strip in the deadliest attack in the coastal strip in months.

The Israeli military said the men were about to launch a rocket attack against southern Israeli communities when they were struck. Palestinian officials confirmed the five dead were militants. There were no further details immediately available about their identities.

Israel has for years routinely targeted rocket launchers from Gaza. Such incidents, however, have been scaled back dramatically in the two years since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza concluded.

Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, while the rival Palestinian Authority governs the West Bank.

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