Palestinians ispect the site where Nafiz Mansur was killed by an Israeli air strike in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, 01 May 2008

Israeli forces have killed two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including a Hamas militant who Israel says was involved in the capture of an Israeli soldier in 2006.

An Israeli airstrike killed the militant Nafez Manzur Thursday in the town of Rafah in southern Gaza.

The Israeli military says Manzur was involved in a 2006 raid on an Israeli border post near Gaza in which militants captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and killed two others. Shalit remains in captivity.

The other casualty in Thursday's violence, an elderly civilian, was shot and killed near the southern town of Khan Younis. The Israeli army confirmed its forces were operating in the area, but gave few other details.

Mahmoud Abbas (file photo)

Separately, Palestinian officials say President Mahmoud Abbas underwent a heart examination Thursday at a hospital in Jordan's capital, Amman. They say the 73-year-old leader's test results were fine and he is in good health.

Mr. Abbas is due to return to Ramallah Friday.

His examination included a diagnostic procedure known as a cardiac catheterization. It involves inserting a long thin tube called a catheter into a blood vessel and guiding it to the heart to allow doctors to see if there are any blockages.

Israel's military did not say what role Nafez Manzur played in 2006 raid. It also accused him of involvement in a suicide attack on an Israeli border terminal with Gaza last month that wounded 13 Israeli soldiers.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.