The Israeli military said three suspects were killed near the security fence separating the southern Gaza Strip from Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a Telegram post that “several suspects… approached the border from the Gaza Strip and moved towards Israel in an attempt to cross the security zone in the Rafah area ”.
According to the post, IDF troops “confronted the terrorists who opened fire on them. The troops then returned fire on the terrorists.”
Two of the suspects were killed by an “aircraft monitoring the terrorist cell” of the Israeli Air Force, while another was shot dead by a tank shortly afterward, the IDF said, emphasizing that the suspects did not cross the fence. “The incident is under review,” she added.
It was initially not possible to independently verify the Israeli statement.
The war in Gaza was triggered by the unprecedented massacre carried out by militants from Hamas and other Palestinian extremist organizations in Israel, near the border with the Gaza Strip, on October 7.
The militants killed more than 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 hostages to the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, 36,550 people have been killed so far and another 82,959 injured.
