Two Palestinian militants were shot dead early on Monday by Israeli troops near the borders between northern Gaza Strip and Israel, Palestinian medics said.

Palestinian security sources said that two Palestinian militants were shot dead by Israeli soldiers who found them after they approached the borders area and planned to plant a roadside bomb there.

Meanwhile, Israeli Radio confirmed the killing, quoting an Israeli army spokesman as saying that Israeli soldiers opened fire at two militants trying to carry out armed attack against the soldiers at the borders area between northern Gaza Strip and Israel.

Abu Abeer, spokesman of the Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza confirmed that the two killed militants were members of his group.

Abu Abber said in a statement sent to reporters that the two militants were in a military mission "to prevent any Israeli incursion into the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun."

But an Israeli army spokesman denied earlier reports, saying that the Israeli army was preparing for a large-scale military operation into the Gaza Strip to prevent militants from launching homemade rockets at Israel.

Earlier, a senior Israeli official said that a large-scale operation into the Gaza Strip was underway to prevent more armed attacks from Gaza against Israel, Israel's local media reported.

Source: Xinhua