Israeli soldiers unload a large group of detained Palestinians from a truck following an army operation in the Gaza Strip, 06 Sep 2007

Israeli forces have killed at least nine Palestinian militants in clashes in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian officials say four militants were killed Thursday as Israeli soldiers and tanks entered Gaza near Khan Younis. The Israeli army called the operation "routine activity" in an area where militants dig tunnels near the border and fire rockets at Israel.

Hours later, the Israeli military launched an airstrike that killed five Palestinian militants who were advancing on a border post. A spokesman for the militant group Islamic Jihad said that some of the attackers managed to drive through a fence surrounding the Israeli post.

On Wednesday, Israel's Security Cabinet decided against a major military response to Palestinian rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. Instead, the Cabinet agreed to continue what it called pinpoint military strikes against Palestinian militants involved in the attacks.

Earlier this week, a Palestinian rocket landed near a nursery school in the southern Israeli town of Sderot. The attack sparked panic but there were no casualties.

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