Israeli forces have killed three Palestinians in a pair of operations in the Gaza Strip.

Military officials said troops shot and killed a man walking near the Israeli border in central Gaza Saturday.

Earlier, Israeli tanks backed by helicopters raided the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. Israeli officials said two men were killed in a shoot-out between troops and Palestinian gunmen.

Israeli forces have been operating in Gaza since militants abducted an Israeli soldier in June. An Egyptian newspaper, Al-Ahram, quoted President Hosni Mubarak as saying negotiations were under way to free the soldier.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Palestinian teachers and other government employees went on strike in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to demand unpaid salaries. Fatah gunmen surrounded schools to enforce the strike, while Hamas militiamen tried to keep schools open.

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