Gaza City  - Israel on Wednesday denied involvement in an exchange of fire in the central Gaza Strip, in which a Hamas militant was killed earlier in the morning.

"We are unfamiliar with any such incident," an Israeli army spokeswoman said.

A statement issued by Hamas said the militant was killed in a "Jihadi mission against the Zionist occupation."

The statement did not mention the involvement of Israeli soldiers in an exchange of fire, a hint that the militant may have been killed by accident or in an internal incident, while on a his way to attack soldiers patrolling the border. (dpa)