The Israeli military said it conducted an air strike on Saturday in the Gaza Strip targeting several people attempting to retrieve a drone that had crossed into the Palestinian territory.

According to the military, the drone had flown from Israeli territory before being targeted by an Israeli aircraft in south Gaza.

"An IAF aircraft struck the drone and several suspects who collected it in the southern Gaza Strip," the military said in a statement.

The military has previously stated that drones have been used to smuggle weapons into the territory.

On Friday, the military conducted an air strike targeting fighters who it said were planting an explosive device in northern Gaza.

The first phase of a ceasefire in Gaza ended on 1 March after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, though widespread hostilities have not resumed.

While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second phase, which should lead to a permanent end to the war.

On Saturday, a high-level Hamas delegation is expected to hold talks with Egyptian officials over the second phase of the ceasefire, two senior Hamas officials told AFP on Friday.