Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired two mortar bombs into Israel on Tuesday, wounding two soldiers, the Israeli military said.

Security officials in the ruling Hamas Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip said after the incident that six Israeli tanks crossed into the territory and that one fired a shell at a house near the town of Khan Younis. No casualties were reported.

The army said the two soldiers were lightly wounded and taken to hospital for treatment.

The mortar attack was launched a day after Israeli soldiers killed a militant who the army said was planting explosives along the Israel-Gaza border.

According to Israeli military figures, more than 115 rockets and mortar bombs have been fired from the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory since the beginning of the year.

Israel launched a three-week war in the Gaza Strip in December 2008 with the declared aim of curtailing such attacks.