JERUSALEM (AFP) - Two toddlers died on Wednesday after being forgotten in a car by their father in the scorching heat of Israel's Negev desert, medics said.

The siblings, who were aged about three and 18 months, were found in the vehicle at Al-Kasom, where they had apparently been trapped for a number of hours.

They were taken to a nearby home but were without vital signs, said an official from the Magen David Adom emergency medical service.

"We tried to give them medical care, but were forced to pronounce their deaths at the scene," medic Raed Abugag said in a statement.

According to Israeli media, the father was a teacher who had parked his car outside the school in which he taught.

Israel has been hit by a heatwave in the past few days, with temperatures in the southern desert area exceeding 38 deg C.

Last month, a father from the southern coastal city of Ashdod forgot a child in his car, and the infant died after a number of hours.

The Magen David Adom medical service has launched a campaign to remind motorists to not forget children in vehicles.