Israeli soldiers and Palestinians exchanged fire Monday evening at the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza Strip, killing at least two Palestinians and wounding at least 10, Palestinian hospital officials and Israeli emergency medical staff reported.
The Israeli army reported there were no Israeli casualties, the AP reported.
The Israeli army said the Palestinian gunmen threw a grenade and fired at civilians, causing most of the casualties at the crossing, and the Israeli soldiers returned fire.
On his part, Abu Mujahid, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, said however that two of the group's gunmen fired at Israeli soldiers, and the Israeli army fired back at civilians. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, denounced the attack. "This is rejected. There are civilians at the crossing and this can cause problems," said Iyad Buzum, a Hamas official in northern Gaza.
