Palestinian relatives of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades militant, Ala al-Aradi, 25, react during his funeral in the West Bank village of Deir Ghassanah, near Ramallah, Aug. 29, 2006

Palestinian witnesses and medics say Israeli forces killed five Palestinians Tuesday in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

They say Israeli troops killed three Palestinians near Gaza City, as Israel pressed ahead with its Gaza offensive. Palestinian sources say one of the dead belonged to the militant Islamic group Hamas.

The Israeli army said its troops fired at a group of militants preparing a bomb but did not confirm any deaths.

Earlier, Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in clashes that broke out when Israeli forces raided the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank town of Nablus. The dead were members of the militant group, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

In Gaza Tuesday, hundreds of Palestinian workers demonstrated in front of the parliament building, demanding pay.

They threw rocks and attempted to storm the building but were turned back by police.

The Hamas-led Palestinian government has been unable to pay the salaries of about 165,000 government employees. Europe and the U.S. suspended aid payments after the Islamic militant group took power.