Israeli forces have shot dead an Israeli man who tried to cross a barrier surrounding the Gaza Strip near the Erez crossing, the Israeli military says.

The Israeli man was shot dead in the early hours of Monday, when he tried to enter the Gaza Strip at the main border crossing between Israel and the Palestinian coastal enclave, Reuters reported. The man’s motive was not clear.

"Guards … identified a man running towards the crossing and trying to climb the security fence. They called on him to stop and fired warning shots in the air. When he did not heed their calls they fired towards his lower body," Israeli military claimed in a statement.

The statement said that he died of his wounds in hospital.

Palestinians who have approached the border fence in the past have been routinely shot by Israeli security forces and in some cases killed.

(Press TV)