JERUSALEM, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Israeli army said on Monday that its troops intercepted a drone after it crossed the border from the Gaza Strip.

"Troops identified an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that crossed from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory," a military spokesperson said in a statement.

"In response, the troops downed the UAV and took it in for examination," it added.

The unusual incident came amid tensions between Israel and Hamas movement which runs Gaza, the coastal enclave.

Israel and Hamas have reportedly reached initial understandings as part of Egypt's efforts to broker a long-term cease-fire between the two.

Both sides accuse each other of violating the understandings, with Israel occasionally imposing and lifting restrictions on the permitted fishing zone and fuel supply to Gaza and Gazans sending incendiary helium-filled balloons to set fires in southern Israel's arid lands.

Palestinians in Gaza have been protesting weekly against the crippling blockade imposed by Israel since 2007, and Israel responded with live fire.