The IDF stated the gunmen “posed an immediate threat” to troops operating in the Rafah area, marking a fresh clash amid a fragile truce.
RAFAH — The Israeli military reported on Thursday that it eliminated five militants belonging to a terrorist cell in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, after they emerged from an underground tunnel shaft.
According to a statement released through official channels, troops from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spotted the individuals exiting “terrorist infrastructure” in the eastern sector of Rafah, near the designated “Yellow Line.”
The military communiqué asserted that the five gunmen approached Israeli positions “posing an immediate threat,” prompting soldiers from the Nahal Brigade to engage and kill them.
The incident underscores the volatility of the situation in Rafah, an area under IDF operational control where pockets of militants remain active despite the ceasefire agreement.
It follows a wave of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, launched in response to what the military described as shooting attacks by terrorists against troops in Khan Younis. While no Israeli soldiers were injured in those skirmishes, Hamas distanced itself from the events.
The retaliatory bombardments resulted in significant casualties. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 32 Palestinians were killed, including 12 children and 8 women, and another 88 were wounded.
Separately, Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday the signing of a multimillion-dollar contract to expand the production of the Iron Dome air defense system. The deal with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems aims to significantly boost the stockpile of interceptors.
Defense Minister Israel Katz hailed the Iron Dome as “one of the best air defense systems in history” and stated that the new contract represents a “strategic advance” to counter persistent security threats. Katz also emphasized that the agreement reflects the “strength of the alliance with the United States.”
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