Israel army kills Jihad militant

Sderot is often targeted by Qassams fired from the Gaza Strip

The Israeli army has shot dead a member of militant group Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip near a border crossing with Israel, security sources say.

Soldiers fired shots when several Palestinians were spotted planting a bomb near the crossing, the army said.

At least two Palestinians were hit and one was armed, a spokeswoman said.

In the town of Sderot, the army has deployed a new radar system that warns residents of any Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, reports say.

The system, which is connected to Sderot's public address system, was used for the first time a week ago, and judged to be a success, reports Haaretz newspaper.

"It can identify in a very short time where it [the rocket] was launched and assess where it will fall and operate a warning system while the rocket is in the air, which is for about 20 seconds, depending on the range," Giora Shalgi, the director of Israeli arms manufacturer Rafael told Israeli radio.

Qassams are regularly fired at Sderot in southern Israel from the nearby Gaza Strip.

Border shooting

The shooting in the Gaza Strip happened when Islamic Jihad members were seen apparently trying to plant a bomb near the Karni border crossing into Israel, medical and security sources said.

"We know that we hit at least two of them, one of whom was armed," an Israeli military source told AFP news agency.

"We believe they were trying to plant an explosive and a search of the area will begin shortly."