Israeli soldiers shot dead three Hamas militants and critically wounded one other near the border between the Gaza Strip and southern Israel on Saturday, the Hamas armed wing said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed the incident. The soldiers opened fire on four Palestinians militants who were placing explosive devices near the border fence, she said. The armed wing of the ruling Hamas movement broke a five-month-old cease-fire this week by firing rockets into Israel in response to the killing of nine Palestinians by Israeli forces last weekend. Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for the Hamas armed wing, said the four militants were on a "jihadist mission when the Zionist enemy opened fire on them".