Two Palestinian children were killed on Tuesday as they were playing with a mysterious bomb left by the Israeli army forces east of Gaza City neighborhood of al-Tufah, witnesses and medics said.

The witnesses said that several children found a mysterious bomb in an area where the Israeli army forces had seized during its military offensive on the Gaza Strip that lasted for 22 days that ended on Sunday.

Gaza emergency chief Mo'aweya Hassanein said that two children were killed as an Israeli bomb exploded in al-Tufah neighborhood, in eastern Gaza City, adding that the death toll of the Israeli offensive had hit to 1,414 and 5,500 injured.

He added that in addition to the two children were killed, 12 bodies were found under the rubbles on Monday and 100 more were found under the destroyed houses on Sunday.

Meanwhile, explosives' experts in Hamas security forces in Gaza warned the residents and the children not to touch or play with any mysterious objects, and to immediately call the police if such objects are found.

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2009)