Israeli man is killed trying to climb fence into Gaza

Israeli security forces shot dead an Israeli man trying to climb a security fence surrounding the Gaza strip.

The man ran toward the fence from the Israeli side of the Erez crossing and ignored orders to stop trying to climb the fence, the military said.

The man, in his 30s, is believed to have been mentally ill, medical sources told the BBC.

Gaza is under a tight Israeli and Egyptian blockade, tightened since Hamas took over the strip in 2007.

The Erez crossing point at the northern edge of the Gaza Strip has been almost totally locked down by the Israeli military, and very few people pass through it currently.

The man, who has not yet been officially identified, drove to the crossing point in the early hours of Monday morning, parked his car and ran toward the fence, the military said.

He was spotted trying to climb up the fence by CCTV cameras.