Israeli soldiers have shot dead one Palestinian and injured another on the border with the Gaza Strip, health officials and witnesses said Tuesday.
"Two suspects approached and breached the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip and due to imminent danger IDF (Israel Defence Force) soldiers opened fire and a hit was confirmed," a military spokeswoman in Tel Aviv told dpa.
Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesman of Gaza's emergency services, told reporters that a rescue team found the body of a young man near the border.
Witnesses in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun said an Israeli army force stationed on the border opened fire at two young Palestinians, who approached the fence overnight.
The Islamist movement Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, said that since a ceasefire was reached with Israel in November, at least five Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in shooting incidents on the border.
The witnesses said the two men were unarmed, adding that they apparently tried to infiltrate Israel to seek work.
The military spokeswoman said they had made a whole in the fence in an area where militants had tried to plant bombs and attack soldiers.