Israeli forces have killed at least one militant from the group Islamic Jihad during military operations in Gaza.

A militant was killed in the town of Khan Younis in the Gaza strip during a raid against gunmen.

According to the BBC, another Islamic Jihad militant was killed in Gaza City while two Palestinians were killed during a separate operation in the troubled region.

Israeli military forces confirmed that operations were ongoing in the Gaza Strip but there were no reports of air strikes.

Gaza is currently under the control of Hamas after tensions between the Muslim group and the secular Fatah party boiled over and conflict ensued in the region.

Fatah and the Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas remain in control of the West Bank, but are unable to yield any power in Gaza.

President Abbas has made moves to control the situation, including banning Palestinians from carrying weapons inclusive of both the Hamas and Fatah brigades.

World leaders, including outgoing prime minister Tony Blair, are attempting to defuse the situation and funds have been rerouted to the PA to stabilise Fatah.

A deal naming Mr Blair as a Middle East envoy acting on behalf of the US, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations was delayed yesterday after negotiations became stalled.

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