Gaza Border Blast Injures 3 Israeli Troops

Three Israeli soldiers were injured on Tuesday morning by an explosion along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said.

"An IDF soldier was moderately wounded and two others lightly wounded while on a routine activity earlier this morning, adjacent to the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip," the military said in a statement.

"The soldier received initial first aid treatment at the scene and was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital for further medical care," it added.

A military spokeswoman told Agence France Presse that the soldiers were wounded in an explosion, and that the three were on the Israeli side of the border when they were hurt.

Israeli public radio said the incident occurred near the Kissufim crossing alongside southern Gaza, adding that the explosion came as an army vehicle carried out a routine patrol in the area and that a gunfight erupted after the blast.