A Palestinian who crossed the Israeli border from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip was killed by Israeli troops on Saturday, Reuters news agency reported military sources as saying.
According to an Israeli army spokeswoman, the troops had feared the Palestinian was a security threat though he proved to be unarmed.
The man was reportedly spotted by the troops digging into the ground on the Gazan side of the fortified border fence, where Palestinian gunmen have in the past mounted ambushes, the spokeswoman said.
He then clambered over the fence, carrying an item that the troops could not see clearly, she said. They shot him dead after he ignored their calls to turn back as well as warnings shots.
The man was not immediately identified and while the spokeswoman did not give further details on what the Palestinian was carrying, no weapons were found on him.
While the Gaza-Israel border has been a flashpoint of fighting, especially during flare-ups such as the November mini-war in the coastal enclave, such violence has abated recently, Reuters reports.
On occasion, Palestinians there have sought to cross into Israel for work.
(With Reuters)
