Two Hamas terrorists were killed on Tuesday in an explosion in northern Gaza. Hamas accused Israel of killing the two with tank fire.

IDF officials denied the accusation, and said the Israeli army was not involved in any skirmishes in northern Gaza on Tuesday.

The Hamas claims were backed by local medics. A source in Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades told the Arab news source Maan that the two terrorists were engaged in “jihad” at the time of their death.

However, villagers who spoke with Israeli media cast doubt on Hamas's version of the story. Villagers said the two died when a bomb they attempted to plant near the Gaza security barrier detonated prematurely.

Gaza terrorists often plant bombs near the barrier in an attempt to harm soldiers patrolling nearby or civilian workers called in to conduct repairs.

Explosives Found near Border

Earlier in the day, Egyptian officials announced that police had uncovered a major supply of explosives near the Gaza border. The explosives were apparently intended to be smuggled into Gaza via one of the many tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.

Egyptian officials estimated the quantity of explosives as roughly two tons.

In addition to finding the explosives, police found four smuggling tunnels, the officials said.