Gaza - Two Palestinians were killed early Saturday outside Gaza City during what family members said was a mission to kill or capture Israeli soldiers.

The family sources said Yaqoub and Ahmed Nassar were affiliated to the radical Islamic Hamas organisation but had cooperated with Israeli intelligence until Hamas discovered this nearly a year ago.

Hamas had then assigned the two to carry out a suicide attack against Israeli soldiers on the pretext of fleeing Hamas and trying to cross into Israel.

Palestinian medical staff recovered their bodies from Juhr al-Dik, a village near the border with Israel in southeast Gaza city, the sources said.

Medical sources had conflicting reports on what caused their death. Some said it was the explosion, but others said the two had been gunned down.

An Israeli military spokesman denied any involvement of Israeli forces in the deaths of the two. (dpa)