Israeli forces shot dead Odah Jihad Hamad, 27, and wounded his brother Raddad, 22, as they picked through scrap in wasteland at Beit Hanun in the north of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights said in a statement that "Israeli forces used excessive force and directly opened fire at them, although it was clear that the two civilians were collecting steels and plastics from the landfill near the border fence," the PCHR said.

Gaza Strip is crippling under a strict siege imposed illegally by Israel which has made people look for anything that helps them provide their primary daily needs.

Small pieces of metal, wood and plastic are usually gathered by people from the garbage for recycling.

The Israeli army claimed it opened fire at the unarmed young men near the border in response to Palestinian ciolence including throwing rocks.

The PCHR said Israeli forces had also used unnecessary force at a separate border incident on Friday, when they wounded three Palestinians near Jabaliya about five kilometers (three miles) from Beit Hanun.

"PCHR is deeply concerned over these crimes, which further prove the use of excessive force by Israeli forces in disregard for the civilians' lives," it said. "These grave breaches constitute war crimes."

Israeli regime forces have killed many Palestinians in countless incidents during years after occupation of Palestine claiming that they were throwing stones at them.

SHI/SHI