Israel: Three Palestinian infiltrators from Gaza killed

JERUSALEM — Israeli troops fatally shot two Palestinians who infiltrated the country from Gaza and attacked soldiers with explosives Sunday night and in a separate occurrence killed another Palestinian who tried to breach the border, the military said.

Another Palestinian was detained in the attempted breaching, and two more were caught trying to cross the border in a third case, the military said.

The Gaza border has been tense in recent weeks, with the Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, urging mass Palestinian protests there every Friday as part of a weekslong campaign against a decade-old blockade of the territory.

Israel argues that it is defending its sovereign border, including nearby communities, and that its troops target only instigators. Israel accuses Hamas, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, of trying to carry out attacks under the guise of the mass protests.

The military said that “two terrorists who infiltrated into Israel hurled explosive devices” at soldiers Sunday night. The soldiers returned fire, killing them.

About a half hour earlier, two Palestinians damaged the security fence and tried to cross into Israel. Troops opened fire, killing one, the military said. The other was detained for questioning, it said.

In a third occurrence, soldiers spotted two Palestinians trying to breach the border. They were arrested and found to have knives and wire cutters on their persons, the military said.

Also Sunday, the Israeli army said most of the deaths of Palestinians during the Gaza unrest have been unintentional. An officer in Israel’s southern command told the newspaper Haaretz that snipers have been aiming at protesters’ legs, but people have been killed after bending down, when struck by a ricocheting bullet or when a sniper misses the target.