Palestinian killed in Israel strike in north Gaza — ministry

GAZA CITY/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — A Palestinian was killed by Israeli tank fire into northern Gaza on Monday, the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said.

It named the dead man as Mohammed Al Rudeia, 30, and said another man was wounded.

An army spokeswoman told AFP that two Palestinian men tried to breach the border fence "with the intention of carrying out an attack".

It said the pair were captured but other Palestinians on the Gaza side fired at Israeli soldiers, without causing injuries.

Eyewitnesses said the tank strike targeted an observation point belonging to an armed group.

A statement by Hamas's military wing, the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades, hailed Rudeia as a "fighter", an accolade usually only given to its own members.

Separately on Monday the health ministry announced the death of a Palestinian injured by Israeli occupation forces.

Nasser Al Areenee, 28, was shot a "number of days ago" east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, the ministry said, without giving further details.

At least 121 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli occupation forces during weeks of protests since March 30, when Palestinians began calling for the right of return of hundreds of thousands of refugees that were forcibly displaced amid violence surrounding the creation of Israel.

The majority were killed by Israeli forces during protests along the border, including at least 61 on May 14.

Others have been killed in air strikes, including on Sunday when three members of the Hamas-allied Islamic Jihad group were killed.

Israel has fought three wars with Hamas since 2008.

On Sunday, Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said he is seeking to ban Palestinian prisoners who are members of the Hamas resistance group from watching the upcoming World Cup.

Under current rules, prisoners have the right to watch television, but Erdan said he was checking to see if regulations could be changed in time for the World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 15. 

Prisoners who "support terrorism cannot benefit from a sporting competition which unites populations", the minister said. 

Around 6,500 Palestinians are detained in Israeli prisons, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club.