Israeli troops killed one Palestinian and wounded two in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, local hospital officials said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said troops on patrol along the Israeli side of the border fence with the Gaza Strip heard a loud explosion and responded with fire towards "areas suspected as points where terrorists operate."
It was the first deadly incident in the Gaza Strip for over a week. On December 8 an Israeli air strike killed two Palestinian militants in Gaza City who the Israeli military said had planned an attack on Israelis. Gaza militants struck back by firing rockets into Israel, causing no casualties.