Israeli army on Tuesday morning killed two Palestinian gunmen in a clash near the border fence outside the Gaza Strip.

The spokesman of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Xinhua that the soldiers identified a cell of Palestinian gunmen approaching the fence. IDF suspected that the gunmen were planning to plant an explosive device on the security fence and called in an air strike.

There were exchanges of fire on the ground and the Israeli military chopper shot and hit the cell members.

Three other Palestinians were wounded in the clash, Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of Gaza's Health Ministry was quoted by the website of local daily Ha'aretz as saying.

This is the first incident in weeks in which Palestinian militants are killed on the fence. Despite the relative calm, IDF Southern Command is closely monitoring the situation in the area.

(Xinhua News Agency April 1, 2009)