GAZA, Feb 17 (Reuters & JMCC) - Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Palestinian men in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, said Palestinian medics who recovered the bodies near a border zone.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

The medics said the Palestinians whose bodies were found in northern Gaza, were shot by Israeli forces before dawn on Thursday. Residents said they had heard gunfire in the area.

The three were fishermen, said JMCC.org's Gaza correspondent. Their names are Jihad Khalaf, 20, Talaat a-Rawagh, 25, and Ashraf Qteifan, 29.

There were no claims of responsibility from any Palestinian militant groups. Israel often clashes with militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza who fire rockets and mortars at the Jewish state. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan; Editing by Matthew Jones)