Mouawia Hassnin, a health ministry official at Al-Shifa hospital told Arab News that Mohammed Salim, a 24-year-old man, was killed during cross-border exchange of fire near the Israeli crossing Nahal Oz. He added that ambulance workers found him dead near Alzeq farm on Gaza's eastern border with Israel.

Al-Aqsa brigades, the military wing of Fatah movement, told the Palestinian news agency Maan that one of its fighters clashed with Israeli forces along the Gaza-Israeli border on Friday and confirmed his death. In a statement, the brigades said that at 6 a.m. local time, its forces acted defensively against an undercover Israeli forces that entered into Gaza.

Residents living in the area said that sound of heavy machine gunfire and explosions were heard in the place, adding that a number of tanks backed by aerial force, rolled into eastern Al-Shijayaa neighborhood of Gaza City during the confrontations.

Israeli military sources said that an army force patrolling the border identified a Palestinian fighter planting explosives near the security fence along the border, east of Gaza City. The militant threw a hand grenade at the soldiers, who responded by firing back.

It was the second attempt this week by Palestinian fighters to plant explosives devices near the border fence, said the Israeli Army.

Hamas movement which controls the Gaza Strip, is trying to enforce a shaky and undeclared cease-fire with Israel but tensions have risen over the past weeks, with a number of fatal incidents recorded.