The Israeli military says it has rescued two hostages from captivity in the Gaza Strip.

It identified the men as Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70.

It said both men were kidnapped by Hamas militants from Kibbutz Nir Yizhak in the October 7 cross-border attack that started the four-month Israel-Hamas war.

The rescue took place in the southern border town of Rafah.

The army says both men are in good medical condition.

They are among the 136 hostages that Israel says remain in Hamas captivity.

It comes after a series of Israeli strikes hit Rafah on Monday morning, despite warnings from US President Joe Biden not to conduct a military operation in the Gaza border town without a plan to protect civilians.

The Israeli military said it struck “terror targets in the area of Shaboura”, a district in Rafah.

The military statement said the series of strikes had concluded, without elaborating on the targets or assessing the potential damage or casualties.

An Associated Press journalist in Rafah said strikes hit around Kuwait Hospital where some of those wounded in the strikes had been brought.

Palestinian health officials did not immediately offer any casualty information.