A Palestinian resistance group spokesman confirmed the attack and added that fighters had inflicted casualties on the Israeli side. There was no confirmation from the army of any Israeli casualties.

An army spokeswoman said the arned men infiltrated into the Israeli side of the Erez border crossing and threw handgrenades at the checkpoint before being killed.

Confirmation

The spokeswoman said: "The gunmen attacked the Israeli side of the Erez border crossing, they threw handgrenades and two of them were killed by soldiers."

A spokesman for the Gaza fighters said that two men from the Popular Resistance Committees and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a part of Fatah faction, had been killed in the attack.

"This was a joint attack by gunmen who penetrated the Erez crossing and opened fire on the soldiers who were unaware of their presence, causing casualties among the soldiers," said a spokesman for the fighters who refused to be named.

The Erez checkpoint is the main crossing for thousands of Palestinian workers with jobs in Israel. Israel routinely closes the crossing after violent incidents, leaving the workers idle.