Israeli military kills three Palestinians at border

GAZA, Aug 18 (Agencies): The Israeli military opened fire at a group of Palestinians as they tried to cross the Gaza border, killing three men and injuring another, local media reported on Sunday.

The Israeli military said an attack helicopter and a tank fired at the "armed suspects adjacent to the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip."

The incident came amid a recent escalation of tension between Israel and the Palestinians, despite Egypt-brokered effort to reach a cease-fire agreement between Israel and the Islamic Hamas Movement.

Israel has been imposing a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since Hamas took over the enclave in 2007.

"A short while ago, IDF (Israel Defence Forces) troops spotted a number of armed suspects adjacent to the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip. An IDF attack helicopter and a tank fired toward them," the military said in a statement.

Palestinian medics said they retrieved three bodies from the site and Gaza hospital officials said a fourth man was injured.

The incident happened overnight between Saturday and Sunday, shortly after three rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, one of them landing in a town near the border, according to the Israeli military and police.

There was no immediate comment from any of the major armed groups in Gaza. No Israelis were hurt.

Gaza is ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel over the past decade.

Israel pulled its troops and settlers from the territory in 2005 but keeps the enclave under a blockade, citing security concerns. Tensions along the border are high with frequent fatalities.