IDF fire killed one Palestinian and wounded two in the central Gaza Strip early Saturday morning, local hospital officials said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said troops on patrol along the Israeli side of the border fence with the Gaza Strip heard a loud explosion and responded with fire towards "areas suspected as points where terrorists operate."

According to Palestinian news agency Ma'an, the man was identified as Majed al-Nabhan, 35, from Gaza's Bureij refugee camp. Ma'an reported that he arrived at the Al Aksa hospital in Deir al-Balah with mortal wounds, and died shortly after.

Several hours earlier a mortar shell was fired into Israel, landing in the Eshkol Regional Council area in southern Israel. No injuries or damage were reported. On Thursday three mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip landing in the same area. No injuries or damage were reported in these attacks either.

Violence between Israel and Gaza had slightly abated in recent days.

Over a week ago the Israel Air Force struck targets connected with terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip in response to a spate of rockets fired into southern Israel from the coastal territory, the IDF Spokesman's Office said in a statement.