Israel kills 'terrorist scuba divers' off Gaza

Israel's navy has shot and killed four Palestinians in diving gear off the Gaza coast. They were believed to have been planning a terrorist attack.

Hamas officials in Gaza say four bodies have been recovered and two people are missing.

The news comes a week after nine pro-Palestinian activists died in an Israeli raid on an aid flotilla trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

The Israeli military said it had attacked a boat carrying "a squad of terrorists wearing diving suits on their way to execute a terror attack".

Israeli media reports quoted the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Fatah's military wing, as saying that four of its men, who were training off the Gaza coast, were killed and a fifth is missing.

There has been sporadic rocket fire from Gaza into Israel since last week's attack on the Gaza aid flotilla.

A regional security summit begins today in Istanbul. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is at the meeting with representatives of countries including Iran and Syria.

Turkey is Israel's most important Muslim ally but is expected to open the summit by condemning Israel for the attack on the Turkish flotilla and demanding an apology. Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of "state terrorism" and is calling Gaza a "historic cause for Turkey".

Turkey said it would reduce military and trade ties with Israel, which was invited to the summit but is not expected to attend.