Two newborn lion cubs unveiled by Hamas as prized additions in a zoo they run have died.

The cubs died of an unspecified illness, said Mohammad Abdel-Rahman, the acting manager of the Beit Lahiya zoo in northern Gaza. He said the zoo's staff was unable to save them because they lacked experience in caring for newborn cubs.

Hamas unveiled the cubs - a male and a female - and named them after last year's war between Hamas militants and Israel. One was named Fajr after an Iranian-type missile used in the fighting. The other was called Sejil for the name of the campaign.

Their mother, a four-year-old African lioness, was smuggled into Gaza via tunnels from Egypt.