Israeli warplanes have attacked on the Gaza Strip in an overnight raid, targeting what the Israeli military said was an arms smuggling tunnel.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces opened fire on each other along the Gaza border, killing one of their own soldiers in an incident in which three Palestinian who Israel says were suspected infiltrators were captured, a military spokesman said.

Israeli army said that the air attacks were retaliation to Palestinian rockets.

One rocket was fired into southern Israel late on Sunday from the Gaza Strip, though it landed without causing any injuries or damage, the Israeli army said earlier.

The raid on the Gaza Strip comes in the wake of a visit by Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary-general, to the Hamas-controlled territory.

Israel's Channel 10 television said the so-called infiltrators caught near the Kissufim crossing were unarmed. No armed groups had any comment from Hamas-ruled Gaza, according to Reuters.

A security source in Gaza confirmed there had been gunfire briefly in the area and that later an Israeli helicopter flew overhead, but he had no further details.

Gazas economy is dependent on the tunnels, increasingly under attack by both Israeli and Egyptian forces. Tens have been killed in the underground system over the past months, and dozens more over the nearly three years of Gaza siege. The industry remains, however, the only growing work opportunity in Gaza.

Israel launched on Dec. 27 a massive offensive in Gaza, killing more than 1434 Palestinians, a third of them children, and wounded at least 5300.

In its land, sea and ar offensive, Israel targeted hospitals, schools, mosques and government buildings and destroyed infrastructure system in Gaza, lefting Palestinians without electricity, gas and power.

But Israel imposes heavy blockade on entry of infrastracture materials under the pretext of Palestinians can use them as "weapon" materials.

Hamas wants Israel and Egypt to reopen all Gaza's border crossings so that people and goods can move freely. Gaza has been under heavy blockade for most of the time since Hamas took power there in June 2007.

Agencies