Israeli soldiers shot dead four Palestinian militants on Saturday on the border to the Gaza Strip after one of the men attacked them with a hand grenade, the Israeli military said.

The military said on Twitter that the men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades.

There has been a recent escalation in clashes between militants from Gaza, ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, and the Israeli army, which is keeping the enclave under a blockade that Israel says is prompted by security concerns.

Last week, three soldiers were injured after a Palestinian who was seeking to avenge his brother's death at the hands of Israeli forces entered Israel from Gaza and opened fire. The man was killed in the ensuing gunbattle.

Earlier this week, a 19-year-old Israeli soldier and student was stabbed to death in a settlement in the West Bank. The suspect in that attack is still at large.

The violence comes ahead of Israeli general elections on September 17, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under pressure to show a firm hand in dealing with Palestinian militants.

Every evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli forces opened fire on four Palestinian militants near the Gaza border fence on Saturday, killing the men, the Israeli military said.

The men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades, one of which was hurled at the Israeli troops, the military said on Twitter. “The soldiers opened fire after one of the terrorists crossed the border and killed them.”

There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials in Gaza or from militant groups in the territory.

Gaza is ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel over the past decade. Israel pulled its troops and settlers from the territory in 2005 but keeps the enclave under a blockade, citing security concerns. Tensions along the border are high with frequent fatalities. </s> For the second time in two days soldiers opened fire on armed militants, defence forces say

This article is more than 4 weeks old

This article is more than 4 weeks old

Israeli soldiers fired at a Palestinian militant on the Gaza border on Sunday, the military said, and a Palestinian medic said the man was killed.

It was the second such incident since Saturday when Israeli troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians who attempted to cross the volatile border.

“IDF [Israel Defense Forces] troops spotted an armed terrorist approaching the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip. The terrorist opened fire towards the troops,” the military said of the second incident.

The soldiers returned fire and an Israeli tank fired at a post belonging to Hamas, the Islamist armed group that rules Gaza.

The IDF said no Israelis were hurt.

In a post on Twitter on Saturday, the IDF said the four men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades, one of which was hurled at their troops. “Once one of the terrorists crossed into Israel, our troops opened fire.”

Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) These are the weapons possessed by the terrorists who attempted to infiltrate into Israel from Gaza last night.



Their (unfulfilled) objective: murdering Israelis. pic.twitter.com/sQbMPK59sX

There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials in Gaza or from militant groups in the territory.

Gaza is ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel over the past decade. Israel pulled its troops and settlers from the territory in 2005 but keeps the enclave under a blockade, citing security concerns. Tensions along the border are high with frequent fatalities. </s> Four alleged Palestinian terrorists were killed by Israeli forces near the Gaza border fence, the military announced on Saturday.

Israel Defense Forces said the men were armed with grenades and assault rifles and that they had crossed the border from Gaza.

“We just identified a number of terrorists from Gaza approaching Israel, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers & grenades—one of which was thrown,” the force posted on its official Twitter account.

“Once one of the terrorists crossed into Israel, our troops opened fire,” the statement added.

In a second post, the IDF published photographs of guns, ammunition and grenades laid on the ground and said: "These are the weapons possessed by the terrorists who attempted to infiltrate into Israel from Gaza last night."

It added that their objective was "murdering Israelis".

The four dead were Abdulah al-Hamayda, Abdulah al-Ghamri, Abdulah al-Masri and Ahmad al-Odeini, security sources inside the Gaza Strip told Efe.

They were all in their early 20s and members of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, the sources added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the alleged attempt and no official statement has been issued on the matter.

The Israeli military took the bodies of the four Palestinians and confiscated the weapons they were carrying, according to Palestinian sources.

A similar incident that took place 10 days ago left three Israeli soldiers wounded after Hamas militia managed to enter Israel and opened fire at before being shot dead.

The unrest between Gaza and Israel has escalated since Gaza border protests rallies began in March 2018.

Hundreds and sometimes thousands of Palestinians have been taking to the streets every week in front of the fence to call for refugees’ right to return and lifting the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza since 2007, when Hamas took charge of the Strip.

Since then, many incidents have taken place in the area, which left at least 307 Palestinians dead as they were shot by Israeli forces during protests and incidents. EFE-EPA </s> Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinians near a security fence at the Gaza Strip border, according to the army on Saturday.

In a statement, the army said the four men were allegedly armed with AK-47 assault rifles, hand grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

The army said the remains of the four men are in Israeli custody.

There was no comment from Palestinian authorities in Gaza on the Israeli claim.

Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, reached an informal cease-fire in May after the worst bout of violence since 2014.

Palestinians have been staging weekly protests near Gaza border to demand an end to a 12-year Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has shattered the coastal enclave's economy and deprived its two million inhabitants of many basic amenities.

Since the Gaza rallies began last year, nearly 270 protesters have been martyred -- and thousands more wounded -- by Israeli troops deployed near the buffer zone. </s> Israeli troops have shot dead a Palestinian man on the Gaza border with Israel, Palestinian officials have said.

Gaza’s health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said on Monday that 24-year-old Sabri Ahmad Abu Khader was killed in east Gaza.

Official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli troops shot Abu Khader as he protested along the border.

The Israeli military said in a statement that five men were injured in an explosion at the border of the besieged Gaza Strip after they “attempted to damage a security infrastructure”.

The incident came after Israeli warplanes struck nine Hamas targets overnight in Gaza in response to incendiary kites attacks. </s> Israeli troops kill Palestinian near Gaza border

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Gaza: Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Palestinian officials said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said that a "suspect had approached a restricted area in the southern Gaza Strip."



Soldiers then "fired warning shots into the air, and when the suspect failed to halt, they fired shots towards him. He then fled the area," the spokeswoman said.



Gaza's health ministry said the man was a farmer who had been on his own land. Israel's military restricts Palestinians inside the Hamas-controlled territory from approaching the border, where violence frequently flares up. </s> GAZA, March 22 (Reuters) - Israeli fire killed a Palestinian and wounded two others in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday near Israel's border fence with the Hamas Islamist-run enclave, hospital officials said.

The Israeli military said its forces "detected three suspects near the security fence and fired towards them, identifying one hit" in the pre-dawn incident.

No Palestinian militant group claimed the men as members, a sign, local residents said, that the three may have been trying to cross into Israel under the cover of darkness to seek work. </s> GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: A Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces on the Gaza border Tuesday, the health ministry in the strip said, as tensions remained days after 17 people were killed when a mass demonstration led to clashes.

The ministry identified the dead man as 25-year-old Ahmed Arafa, saying he was shot in the chest during clashes east of Bureij in central Gaza.

The Israeli army said it was looking into the incident and could not immediately comment.

It was the first death since at least 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops on Friday when a protest by tens of thousands of people resulted in clashes.

It was the deadliest day since the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas.

Smaller protests have continued since, with thousands expected to take to the streets again on Friday.

Israel's use of live fire has come under criticism from rights groups, while the European Union and UN chief Antonio Guterres have called for an independent investigation.

But earlier Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman issued a new warning, saying those who approach the fence between Gaza and Israel will put "their life in danger."

Israel has defended its soldiers' actions on Friday, saying they opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers.

It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border.

Palestinians say protesters were fired on while posing no threat to soldiers.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday said Friday's killings were unlawful and "calculated", also saying the border protests posed no immediate threat to Israeli soldiers. — AFP
Israeli forces shoot dead four Palestinian militants near the border with Gaza, the Israeli military say. Israel Defense Forces say the men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades.