Palestinian resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip have clashed with Israeli forces upon a fresh incursion into the north of the Palestinian coastal enclave.

The confrontation occurred on Wednesday when a number of Israeli armored vehicles and bulldozers briefly crossed into an area east of al-Shujaiyeh, Ma’an news agency quoted witnesses as saying.

They said Israeli artillery also shelled the area, which is close to the now defunct Nahal Oz fuel pipeline along the Gaza-Israel border.

The al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, said its fighters fired a rocket-propelled grenade toward the Israeli military convoy entering Gaza, the movement said in a statement.

The statement said the Israeli attack was a further proof of Israeli aggression towards the Palestinians and highlighted the significance of resistance against Israel’s violations.

An Israeli military spokesman said he would look into the report.

Israeli artillery and tanks have been regularly shelling Palestinian residential areas and farmlands close to the border with the Gaza Strip.

The attacks culminated in late December 2008 when the Israeli army launched a deadly offensive on the Hamas-run territory, which left more than 1,400 people — mostly civilians — killed.

The 22-day onslaught also leveled scores of houses and devastated a noticeable portion of Gaza’s infrastructure.

(Press TV)