Israeli soldiers have shot dead one Palestinian and wounded another in the northern Gaza Strip near the Erez border crossing, witnesses say.

The troops targeted the Palestinians while they were collecting gravel in the area, a Press TV correspondent quoted witnesses as saying.

Medics also said that “The ambulance service was being prevented from reaching them.”

The Israeli army also confirmed that its forces opened fire at “someone in the northern Gaza Strip."

Israeli troops often fire on Palestinians in the area along the Gaza border and locals risk injury or death along the border.

Early Saturday, an Israeli airstrike killed at least three Palestinians and injured one in the south of the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, Israeli fighter jets fired several rockets at two Palestinians as they were riding a motorcycle on the road from Khan Younis to Rafah, killing one person and injuring another.

Israeli forces have carried out large numbers of ground and air attacks on Gaza since the end of "Operation Cast Lead" against the enclave.

More than 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the three-week Israeli land, sea and air assault in the impoverished coastal sliver during the winter of 2008-2009. The attack inflicted $1.6 billion damage to the Gazan economy.

(Press TV)