Israeli air strike wounds four Gaza militants

An Israeli air strike wounded four Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Friday, the Israeli military and Palestinian medical workers said.                                           

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the strike targeted militants in the Hamas-controlled territory who were about to fire rockets into southern Israel.                                           

The four gunmen, one of whom was seriously wounded in the strike, were members of Islamic Jihad, the militant group said.                                           

The cross-border violence came as reports this week suggested Israel and the Islamist group Hamas could be nearing a prisoner swap deal that would secure the release of a captured Israeli soldier.                                           

But Hamas officials said the indirect negotiations have hit a snag and are on hold until the end of the four-day Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday.