A general view shows destruction in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip following Israeli attacks. AFP
The military said in a statement late on Tuesday that it had killed two of six militants it had identified adjacent to its troops in western Rafah and that tanks had fired on them.
It said they were killed in an ensuing exchange of fire, including aerial strikes, while troops continued to search for the rest.
A security source in Gaza reported late on Tuesday that Israeli forces had "opened fire west of Rafah city".
Under a truce that entered into force in October following two years of war, Israeli forces in Gaza withdrew to positions behind a demarcation known as the "yellow line".
The city of Rafah is located behind the yellow line, under Israeli army control. The area beyond the yellow line remains under Hamas authority.
Last Thursday, the Israeli military announced it had bombed targets across the Gaza Strip in response to what it said was an attempted rocket launch from Gaza toward Israel.
Gaza's civil defence reported that at least 13 people were killed in the strikes, including five children.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, at least 165 children have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire began on October 10.
The UN children's agency UNICEF said on Tuesday that at least 100 children -- 60 boys and 40 girls -- had been killed since the truce.
Israeli forces have killed a total of at least 447 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the ministry.
Since the start of its genocidal war on Gaza, Israel has killed 71,419 Palestinians and wounded 171,318 others.
The Israeli army says militants have killed three of its soldiers during the same period.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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