Israel troops kill 3 Palestinian attackers from Gaza: army

Israeli troops Tuesday shot dead three Palestinians who crossed into Israel from Gaza and hurled an explosive device at soldiers, the army said.

“I can confirm that all three were killed,” an army spokeswoman told AFP.

The army earlier reported that shots had been fired but without detailing Palestinian casualties.

“We just identified 3 terrorists who crossed the security fence from #Gaza into #Israel,” the army wrote on Twitter.

“After our soldiers arrived at the scene, the terrorists hurled an explosive device at them. In response, our soldiers opened fire at the terrorists. Hits were identified.”

Israeli public radio said the raiders penetrated 400 metres (yards) into Israel from central Gaza “under cover of stormy weather” before the troops stopped them.

The army said Israeli civilians living in the vicinity near the border with the Hamas-run Gaza Strip had not been in danger at any time.

The nighttime incident came as world leaders were gathering in the Jewish state for a major international Holocaust commemoration.

The Islamist movement Hamas, considered a terrorist organisation by Washington and Brussels, has fought three wars with Israel since 2008. AFP