Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Palestinian officials said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said that a "suspect had approached a restricted area in the southern Gaza Strip."

Soldiers then "fired warning shots into the air, and when the suspect failed to halt, they fired shots towards him. He then fled the area," the spokeswoman said.

Gaza's health ministry said the man was a farmer who had been on his own land.

The area around the border fence between Gaza and Israel is the scene of frequent demonstrations by Palestinians to protest the Israeli blockade of the enclave.

There has also been a rise of tension following the controversial announcement made in December by U.S. President Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The move has angered Palestinians who consider the east of the city as the capital of their future state.

U.N. Middle East peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov has warned that Gaza -- which also suffers from water and power cuts, unemployment and poverty -- was on the verge of "full collapse".