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GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- An Israeli airstrike killed three Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, an official said.

Gaza Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma'an that three Palestinian resistance fighters were killed by the airstrike in southeast Khan Younis near the Sufa crossing.

Al-Qidra identified the victims as Ismail Abu Judah, 23, Shahir Abu Shanab, 24, and 33-year-old Abd al-Shafi Muammar.

The bodies were taken to the European Hospital in Khan Younis, al-Qidra said.

Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, said in a statement that the victims were militants affiliated to the group.

"They were in confrontation with the occupation trying to stop the progress of Israeli military vehicles which were approaching the area," the statement said.

The Israeli army said in a statement that "terrorists affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the southern Gaza Strip fired a mortar shell at IDF forces."

"An IAF aircraft responded immediately in order to prevent further attacks on Israeli civilians and targeted the terrorist squad. Direct hits were confirmed, the army statement said.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, an Israeli drone fell in the area of the attack.

The airstrikes came just hours after Palestinian security sources said a man died after Israeli soldiers fired at him while he was driving near the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

The Israeli army also killed two Palestinians in the West Bank on Monday.

Israeli soldiers shot and killed 18-year-old Saji Darwish near Ramallah late Monday, after he allegedly threw stones at Israeli vehicles.

Earlier, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian-Jordanian judge at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan.

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Gaza militants: Israeli air strike kills 3

by By Gili Cohen | Haaretz and Reuters

The Israel Defense Forces struck targets in the Gaza Strip Tuesday morning, reportedly killing three. The IDF said it struck an Islamic Jihad cell in response to an attempted mortar shell attack on Israeli forces doing routine operations in the area.

Gaza's Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said the airstrike took place in southeast Khan Younis, the Palestinian Maan News Agency reported.

According to Islamic Jihad, the three killed were militant members of the group, identified in Gaza reports as Ismail Abu Judah, 23, Shahir Abu Shanab, 24, and Abd al-Shafi Muammar, 33. Their bodies were taken to the European hospital in Khan Younis. A fourth person was also reportedly moderately wounded.

In a separate event Tuesday morning, a malfunctioning Israel Air Force drone crashed in the southern Gaza Strip, prompting an Israel Defense Forces investigation. The IDF Gaza Division decided to ground the Skylark 1 drone system until the investigation is concluded. However, it is still active in other areas such as the Golan Heights.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip began collecting fragments of the drone. Hamas' military arm reported that it seized the drone. The Israeli military said the Sky Rider stopped broadcasting images when it crashed, so it is unclear whether the drone's fragments are of any value. The Gaza Division investigation is meant to ensure whether the crash was caused by a technical failure or a mistake by one of its operators.

Last week, one Palestinian was killed and two others wounded in an Israeli air strike in Gaza. The IDF stated that the target was a group of militants in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, who were preparing to launch rockets into Israel.