Israel Defense Forces troops on Saturday killed two Palestinian militants trying to plant a bomb on the Gaza-Israel border.

An IDF army spokeswoman said Yachiah Barakat, 24, and Tamer al-Khatib, 23, were shot near Beit Lahia after they were spotted laying explosives, where a security fence separates Israel from Gaza.

IDF troops that searched their bodies found the men were carrying rifles, grenades and explosive devices.

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The men reportedly belonged to a militant offshoot of Fatah, the faction headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. In a text message sent to reporters, the group said the two were on a "holy mission."

On Friday evening, Palestinian militants fired a Qassam rocket into the western Negev, several hours after an earlier Qassam landed in Ashkelon.

The first rocket landed in an open field in the Ashkelon's southern industrial zone. The city is not often pelted with rockets, as Palestinian militants in Gaza tend to target western Negev towns east of the Strip, rather than Ashkelon which lies north of Gaza. The rocket sparked a fire in the field, but no one was injured and no damage was caused.

The second rocket landed in a western Negev community, damaging several homes. As in the previous attack, no one was injured.

Two more rockets were launched later Friday evening, one in Sderot and the second in a town nearby. Neither rocket caused damage or injuries.

At least 7 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel since Thursday. One of them struck a home in the western Negev city of Sderot. The members of the family living there were treated for shock.

One rocket on Thursday landed near a gas station. No one was injured, and no property was damaged.

Also Thursday, five Palestinians, including Islamic Jihad's military leader, were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.