The Israeli army on Thursday renewed warning to the Palestinian residents in the Gaza Strip to stay away from northern and eastern borders with Israel.

The warning was carried by hundreds of flyers Israeli airplanes dropped in the coastal enclave, especially in areas near the borders, residents said.

The Palestinians have to stay 300 meters away from the security fence, the flyers read. "Anybody approaching puts himself in danger, as the Israeli Defense Forces will take the necessary procedures to distance him, including opening fire when necessary. "

In February 2009, a month after the end of a large-scale Israeli military offensive in the strip, Israel announced a buffer zone along its borders with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

In recent months, shootings increased in the no-go zone, mostly targeting workers collecting gravel from the rubble of the former Jewish settlements that Israel evacuated in 2005.