A previously unheard-of Islamist group has officially claimed responsibility for Monday's attempted armed attack against Israeli troops near Gaza borders with Israel.

The group, called Jund Anssar Allah, or the Knights of God's followers, said in a written leaflet titled "the leaflet of the Battle Declaration" that "its armed militants managed to penetrate through the enemy's fronts and reinforcements."

"Our fighters managed to reach the borderline and clashed with the soldiers of the enemy, where the distance was only 30 meters. Our fighters had completely destroyed an armored jeep," said the leaflet.

It added that after the attack was carried out, "our fighters managed to withdraw from the battle field peacefully." Four gunmen were killed and two wounded, but no Israelis were injured in the attack.

Members of the group arrived at Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital in southern Gaza Strip and were able to identify two fighters who were killed in clashes with the Israeli army in eastern Gaza city Monday morning, the sources said.

"While our fighters were withdrawing from the area, when they were 1,300 meters far, the enemies artillery targeted three of them with shells, where they were killed," said the leaflet.

Witnesses at the hospital in Rafah said the member of the group, whom cloths and long beards could tell they were Salafi, refused to talk to the media there.

Four Palestinians were killed as they tried to attack Israeli forces manning the borders between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in eastern Gaza city early Monday.

Some of the attackers were on horseback, apparently trying to make their raid like to the battles Prophet Mohammed led to spread Islam some 1,400 years ago.

A posting at the poor website of the group, goes back to January 2009, said they oppose Palestinian and Arab calls to send multi-national forces to Gaza. "They will find death and destruction from our side since they are enemies of Allah and his prophet," the posting said about the forces.

Currently, the Gaza Strip is controlled by Hamas, a group adopting medial Islam but classified as a terrorist foreign organization by the United States for its long record in attacking Israel.

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2009)