Three Islamic Jihad armed men have been killed by the Israeli army at the Gaza Strip border fence, Al-Quds brigades has said.
The armed wing for the Islamic Jihad movement confirmed that a number of its fighters had clashed with Israeli forces on Monday and detonated an explosive device at an Israeli position.
It said the three, operating near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, were trying to plant a bomb that could be detonated against Israeli patrols when they came under fire.
Al Jazeera's reporter in Gaza quoted Palestinian medical sources as saying that three other Palestinians were also wounded in the attack.
Ceasefire attempt
An Israeli military spokesman said that troops shot three gunmen at the border fence.
"There was an explosion at the time of the incident. Munitions were later found at the scene," the spokesman said.
The incident coincided with the visit of Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, to Israel and the occupied West Bank.
Egypt has been trying to broker a truce to end violence on the Israel-Gaza border.
Israel's cabinet this month decided to give the Egyptian mediation a chance but said it would also instruct the military to prepare for a possible incursion into Gaza.