Tel Aviv, Oct 29 (IANS): Palestinian gunmen clashed with Israel Defence Force (IDF) on Sunday in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, close to Erez, media reports said.

Army Radio reports that a number of Palestinian gunmen came out of a tunnel in the Gaza Strip and fought the Israeli troops, Times of Israel reported.

The report said that the IDF forces killed a number of Palestinian gunmen.

Amid clashes, mortars were fired, some of them setting off sirens in Netiv Ha’asara.

There was no immediate statement from the IDF about the clashes.

IDF said that it struck a cell in southern Lebanon which was preparing to carry out an anti-tank guided missile attack near the northern community of Avivim.

The incident comes amid repeated missile and rocket attacks by the Hezbollah on northern Israel, Times of Israel reported.

A spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent said that the Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City received two calls from Israeli authorities demanding its evacuation.

A statement released said that the calls constituted a clear and direct threat that the hospital must be evacuated at once otherwise PRCS holds full responsibility for the lives of everyone inside the hospital.

Spokesperson Nebal Farsakh said that 12,000 people are currently sheltering in the hospital, Times of Israel reported.