A Palestinian was killed on Friday when Israeli troops opened fire at him in an area near the border in the northern Gaza Strip, medical sources said.

Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for Gaza's emergency services, confirmed a man in his early 20s was shot dead by troops near the border, but said they had not yet been able to retrieve his body.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli military said troops had opened fire on an armed Palestinian, saying he had fired at them first.

"A Palestinian opened fire at Israeli troops not far from the security barrier separating Israel from the northern Gaza Strip, and they responded by firing in his direction," she said.