Two Hamas movement militants were killed on Wednesday when an underground tunnel collapsed while they were performing a military mission in it in eastern Gaza, the group and medics said.

Ashraf al-Qedra, Gaza health ministry spokesman, told reporters in Gaza that Ismail Shamali and Rami A'rear, residents of al-Shuja'eya neighborhood, were sent to Shifa Hospital in Gaza city on Wednesday night after they were killed.

The group said the two were members of al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas movement's armed wing, and they died while they carrying out a military mission into one of the tunnels in eastern Gaza city.

Since the beginning of this year, 26 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants were killed and dozens injured while they were carrying out military activities into tunnels the two movements dug underneath the Gaza Strip.

In the summer of 2014, Israel waged a large-scale air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip that lasted for 50 days, and killed around 2,200 Palestinians and more than 70 Israelis.

Israel waged the war on the Gaza Strip to damage dozens of tunnels dug near the borders between Hamas-ruled coastal enclave and Israel.

source: Xinhua