Israeli troops shot and killed three out of a group of four Palestinians who were trying to breach the Gaza border fence, the IDF said on Sunday.
An ax, a wire cutter, an oxygen mask, gloves, lighter fluid and a GoPro camera were found in their possession, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.
It said the military would "continue to act to defend Israel's citizens from those who seek to harm state security."
Soldiers fired tank shells and machine guns at the men, according to Gazan medic Izzat Shatat. He said the men had been close to the border fence, but he was not sure if they actually crossed into Israel.
The attempted breach came at a time of heightened tension on the Gaza-Israel border, including more than a month of weekly mass protests near the fence.
Since late March, 40 Palestinian protesters have been killed and more than 1,700 wounded by Israeli army fire.
Israel has come under international criticism, including from the United Nations and the European Union, for the use of lethal force against unarmed protesters. Rights groups say the army's open-fire orders, under which troops are permitted to shoot at those approaching the border fence, are unlawful.
Israel says that it is defending its sovereign border, including nearby communities, and that its troops target only instigators. Israel accuses Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, of trying to carry out attacks under the guise of the mass protests.
The IDF said four men had arrived in the area of the fence "with the intention of infiltrating and conducting a terror attack."
The statement was unclear about whether they managed to cross into Israel. When asked to clarify, the IDF Spokesman's Office said the men had broken through and were shot and killed in the fence area.
Also on Sunday, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon toured the border areas to assess the damage to Israeli farmland from firebomb kites that were sent over the border from Gaza.
"Kite terrorism is terrorism in every respect and we are happy that the IDF is handling this excellently. Someone who flies a kite, as primitive as it may be, must understand he is viewed the same as someone who set off a bomb or any other explosive material that can kill," Kahlon said.
Kahlon emphasized that farmers whose property was damaged by the firebomb kites "will be compensated down to the last shekel."
"The people here are on the front line of the State of Israel and we need to be here to support them," he said.
Meanwhile, thousands of Gazans led by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh joined a funeral procession for six members of the Hamas military wing killed in an explosion a day earlier.
Gaza media initially reported the blast as a "work accident," suggesting that the men were killed when explosives they were preparing detonated prematurely.
Hamas later said the six, including two commanders, were killed "dismantling booby-trapped spying equipment planted by Israel during the past decade in Gaza." It did not elaborate or provide any evidence.
Hamas said Israel would "pay a heavy price."
Israel's military declined to comment.
