GAZA, April 20 (Reuters) - An Israeli air strike killed a Hamas militant and wounded five others in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Islamist group and medics said.

The Israeli army said it carried out two air strikes in the territory on Sunday and hit Palestinian gunmen. The attack east of Gaza City near the border with Israel came at around dawn.

Separate air strikes killed five Hamas gunmen in the northern Gaza Strip late on Saturday hours after militants from the group drove vehicles carrying bombs into an Israeli border crossing.

Israel regularly raids the Gaza Strip -- attacks it says are meant to target militants responsible for cross-border rocket salvoes that cause panic in southern Israeli towns.

Violence at the Gaza border has increased in the past week. On Wednesday, 17 Palestinians, most of them civilians, including a Reuters cameraman, and three Israeli soldiers were killed in the bloodiest day in more than a month. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Charles Dick)

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