GAZA CITY - The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Wednesday that at least five people including a foreign journalist were killed as a bomb disposal crew tried to dismantle an unexploded Israeli missile.
The name and nationality of the foreign journalist were not immediately confirmed. The episode was said to have taken place in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, on the third day of a 72-hour truce between Hamas militants and Israeli forces, after weeks of bombardment and rocket fire.
The blast was said to have gone off at 10:45 a.m.
The cease-fire is due to end at midnight Wednesday if attempts by Egypt to broker a more durable settlement fail.
The dead also included the head of the bomb squad, identified as Taysir Al Houm, the ministry said. The foreign journalist was said to have been covering the work of the bomb disposal unit. Three of the five dead were from the squad.
The Israeli military said it had not carried out any airstrikes in the area on Wednesday and had no further information about the explosion.
The fighting in Gaza has killed more than 1,900 Palestinians, according to Palestinian and United Nations officials, most of them civilians. Israel says 67 of its people have died, three of them civilians.
Entities 0 Name: Israeli Count: 3 1 Name: GAZA CITY Count: 1 2 Name: Palestinian Count: 1 3 Name: Egypt Count: 1 4 Name: Palestinian Health Ministry Count: 1 5 Name: Gaza Strip Count: 1 6 Name: Israel Count: 1 7 Name: Hamas Count: 1 8 Name: Beit Lahiya Count: 1 9 Name: Taysir Al Houm Count: 1 10 Name: Gaza Count: 1 11 Name: United Nations Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/XZ63rZ Title: Amid Gaza truce, the daunting challenge of rebuilding Description: Gaza (CNN) -- With just 72 hours of calm under the current cease-fire, Palestinians are rushing to try to fix some of the worst of the destruction caused by the conflict in Gaza. Among the most urgent problems: sewage pipes that have been spewing raw effluent for weeks, a lack of clean water and severe power shortages.