Israeli air strike kills 4 Palestinian civilians

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An Israeli air strike killed four Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, the territory's civil emergency service said, as Arab mediators and the United States tried to hammer out differences between Hamas and Israel over a Jan.19 ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli military said its air force attacked “fighters who were engaged in a suspicious activity on the ground in central Gaza and posed a threat to the force.”

At the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital, relatives of the dead men arrived to bid farewell, sitting around the white-shrouded bodies.

Medics and relatives said the four dead, who included two brothers, were civilians.

"Did we end the war or what happened? We don't know,” said Arafat Al-Hana, the father of one of the victims.

Israel sent a delegation to the Qatari capital Doha, for more ceasefire talks, and Hamas leaders ended a round of talks in Cairo earlier this week.

But there has been no sign of a breakthrough to resolve the disputes that threaten a return to armed conflict.

Fighting in Gaza has been halted since January 19 under a first phase of the truce, and Hamas has exchanged 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.