Palestinians gather next to a wreckage of a car destroyed by an Israeli airstrike following a suicide bombing attempt near the Erez border crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip, 22 May 2008

A suicide bomber has blown up his truck at a border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel, but only the attacker was killed in the blast.

Two Palestinian militant groups claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack, Islamic Jihad and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - an armed group linked to the Fatah faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Islamic Jihad says the bomber was a member of its armed wing.

Islamic Jihad says the truck was carrying four tons of explosives but that it exploded on the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing. Witnesses say the blast was felt in nearby towns on both sides of the border.

The attack came after the latest round of Egyptian-mediated talks on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The militant group insists there will be no truce until Israel lifts its blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Palestinian officials say a 62-year-old man was shot and killed by Israeli troops in a separate incident in central Gaza.

The Israeli military was checking on the report.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.