An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian militant were killed in a shootout near the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on Sunday, Israel Radio reported.

Earlier reports said three Israeli soldiers were injured in the attack and one of them was in serious condition.

The Israeli soldier who was critically wounded later died of his wounds at Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheba in Israel, the radio said.

Palestinian witnesses said that militants fired two R.B.J missiles toward different directions, the first at the borderline area and the second at an Israeli army post in Kfar Shalom on the border between Rafah and Israel.

Two militant groups jointly claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Ahmed Abu-Reesh Brigades, one of the Fatah movement's armed wings, and Saraya al-Quds, armed wing of the Islamic Jihad (Holy War), are responsible.

They said that two militants first fired a missile at an Israeli army lookout post guarding one settlement, and then the they clashed with Israeli soldiers for about one hour.

The groups said one of the two militants was killed, who is a member of Ahmed Abu-Reesh Brigades and the other managed to pull back.

The attack came amid a period of calmness that was reached between Israel and the Palestinians in February and between the Palestinian militant groups and Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in March.

Also on Sunday, Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Shaath warned against armed attacks and firing rockets and mortars by Palestinian militants.

The attacks are part of the current status of chaos and deterioration of security that dominate the Palestinian territories, Shaath told reporters in a new conference in Gaza.

He affirmed that the PNA would take action to stop these attacks by all means, through dialogue or through reinforcing the Palestinian security apparatuses.

Source: Xinhua