Israel says it has launched an air strike in southern Gaza in retaliation for an attack by militants earlier in the day that wounded five Israeli soldiers.

The air strikes on Wednesday were the latest test for a fragile ceasefire that has mostly held since early October, despite claims of violations by Israel and Hamas.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israel received the remains of what could be one of the last hostages in Gaza and said it would begin allowing Palestinians to leave the war-torn territory through a border crossing with Egypt.

Israel has accused Hamas of ceasefire violations before launching previous waves of air strikes.

Strikes killed 104 people in late October and 33 people in late November, according to local health officials.

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