The bodies of two Palestinians shot dead overnight in northern Gaza by Israeli troops were recovered Thursday by Palestinian medical officials. Adham Abu Selmiya, the spokesman for the Hamas-run health services in the Gaza Strip, said an ambulance found the bodies of the two men on Thursday morning.
"Ambulance workers found the bodies of two Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli military bullets east of Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip," he told AFP. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed two Palestinians were killed in the incident.
Late Wednesday night, the military said troops opened fire on two Palestinians who they said were trying to breach Gaza's border with Israel. Witnesses confirmed the two men were near the boundary when the soldiers opened fire.
Palestinian rescue services were not able to reach the men until daylight on Thursday because the area is a no-go zone where Israeli soldiers regularly open fire, fearing attempts to place bombs or infiltrate Israel. Also on Thursday morning, Israel's military said a projectile, "most likely a mortar shell", was fired from Gaza into southern Israel, causing no damage or injuries. On Wednesday, militants fired seven projectiles, most of them mortar shells, into Israel without leaving any damage or people wounded, the army said.
Gaza militants have fired dozens of rockets and mortar rounds into southern Israel in the past few months, causing damage and casualties on several occasions.