VIDEO: Israeli strike kills three policemen in Gaza

An Israeli airstrike killed three policemen east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Hamas-run interior ministry said, calling it a breach of the fragile January 19 ceasefire.

It said the policemen were deployed in the area to secure the entry of aid trucks into Gaza.

"The ministry...condemns this crime and calls upon the mediators and the international community to compel the occupation to stop targeting the police force, which is a civil apparatus," the ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted several armed individuals who were moving toward forces deployed near the area and "hits were identified".

It called on all residents of Gaza to adhere to army instructions and refrain from approaching Israeli troops deployed in the area.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to "open the gates of hell" in Gaza if Palestinian group do not return all hostages held in the territory.

"We have a common strategy, and we can't always share the details of this strategy with the public, including when the gates of hell will be opened, as they surely will if all our hostages are not released until the last one," Netanyahu said in a joint statement with visiting US top diplomat Marco Rubio, adding: "We will eliminate Hamas's military capability and its political rule in Gaza."

Agencies