Israeli army confirmed on Sunday that five Israeli soldiers were wounded in the gun-battle with the Palestinian militants, who attacked an Israeli army post near the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Gaza-Israeli borders earlier in the day.

A spokesman of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Xinhua that Israeli army is still searching for the Palestinian gunmen in the south in the wake of the attack, which wounded five Israeli soldiers.

At least three Palestinian gunmen were also killed by the Israeli gunfire in the battle, he added.

Izz el-Deen al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, claimed that it helped the People's Resistance Committees (PRC) and the Islamic Army to carry out the raid on Israeli army post.

The armed group said that the operation was carried out to avenge the killing of PRC leader Jamal Abu Samhadana by Israeli army this month and the airstrike that killed seven civilians of one family on a Gaza beach.

The IDF had closed the Kerem Shalom crossing for several days last week due to a security alert, which caused the closure of Rafah crossing as the European Union monitors could not reach Rafah.

The Rafah crossing was reopened on Thursday after the IDF opened the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow the EU monitors to gain access to Rafah.

Source: Xinhua