GAZA, May 29 (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot and killed two Hamas militants on Tuesday in a gunbattle that broke out during a cross-border raid into Gaza to search for gunmen, medics said, as part of moves to stop rocket fire into Israel.

The Israeli army said it was checking the report.

Hamas confirmed the incident and said its gunmen were involved in the shootout with Israeli troops less than a mile inside the central part of the Gaza Strip.

Israel has repeatedly pounded the Gaza Strip with air strikes, mainly targeting Hamas militants and structures used by the group, since mid-May. Palestinian militants have fired hundreds of rockets towards Israel, killing at least two people.

Israel has killed more than 45 Palestinians, mostly militants.

Israeli troops have occasionally crossed the border fence on raids against militants, often a few hundred metres (feet) inside the Palestinian territory. The Jewish state pulled all its settlers and soldiers out of the territory in 2005.

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