An Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian fighter Monday in the northern Gaza Strip, the militant group Islamic Jihad said, as sporadic violence continued alongside efforts to firm up a new Gaza cease-fire.Islamic Jihad said the fighter died while trying to prevent the infiltration of Israeli ground forces in northern Gaza. But Israel's military, which usually acknowledges such strikes, said there had been no aerial attacks or operations around the time of the man's death. Initial reports from Palestinian health officials identified the man as a farmer and said he was killed by a tank shell.
The reported death came after Israeli aircraft struck two militant positions in the territory. The Israeli military said those airstrikes early were launched in response to rocket fire from Gaza on Sunday. No injuries were reported in those aerial attacks, and the military did not identify the targets. But Palestinian officials said aircraft hit a Hamas security compound in southern Gaza that had already been struck three times during Israel's recently ended Gaza offensive and a northern Gaza field used by militants to launch rockets into Israel.
Separately, an Israeli gunboat fired a shell in the direction of a Palestinian fishing boat off the northern Gaza coast, Palestinian officials said. The military said the boat had strayed beyond limits Israel has set for fishermen, and that the gunfire was meant as a deterrent. Palestinian officials said the fishing boat was damaged but no one was injured.