Jerusalem (CNN) Three Palestinians were shot and killed while attempting to cross into Israel from southern Gaza on Sunday, according to the Israeli military.

A fourth Palestinian also attempted to enter with the group, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement, though it wouldn't comment on the person's condition or location.

Two of the deceased were identified by the Palestinian Ministry of Health as 23-year-old Bahaa Qdeih and 20-year-old Mohammed Abu Rida.

"In this incident, an attempt to damage the security infrastructure, breach Israel's sovereignty and carry out an attack was thwarted," a statement from the IDF said.

Sunday's deaths came after six weeks of protests by Palestinians along the Israel-Gaza border. Since the protests began at the end of March, 51 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, according to a CNN count based on figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

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