By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Israeli troops killed a Palestinian on Wednesday in an air strike in northern Gaza and wounded half a dozen gunmen in a separate gun battle, security sources and witnesses said.

The clashes erupted as Israeli infantry troops entered northern Gaza before dawn. Gunmen opened fire, the soldiers shot back and a pilotless drone aircraft fired a missile wounding several gunmen, witnesses said.

Later a second Israeli aircraft fired a missile, killing a Palestinian, whose identity was not immediately clear, and wounding several more Palestinians, security sources said.

Ambulances were unable to reach some casualties due to the intensity of the gunfire, witnesses said.

The Israeli army had no immediate comment.

Israel has stepped up military operations in the Gaza Strip since the capture of a soldier on June 25 in a cross-border raid.

More than 270 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive, about half of them civilians.

Separately, dozens of Israeli armoured vehicles massed at Israel's border with southern Gaza late on Tuesday, and a military spokesman ordered Palestinians to evacuate an area of Rafah, near the frontier with Egypt, witnesses said.

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