The IDF said it killed two Palestinian terror operatives who crossed the Gaza ceasefire line in the Strip’s north on Saturday, in what has become a near-daily occurrence.
According to the military, the operatives crossed the Yellow Line and approached reservists of the Jerusalem Brigade, “in a way that posed an immediate threat” without specifying whether they were armed or what constituted the threat.
The Israeli Air Force then struck and “eliminated the terrorists to remove the threat,” the army added.
Saturday’s strike came a day after a separate strike in Gaza City that killed at least five, including civilians — some said to be children. The IDF said it had launched an investigation into the incident, amid concerns that the strike could amount to a violation of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that went into effect on October 10.
Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency said the majority of the victims were children and that others were injured. The deaths could not be independently verified.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said on Thursday that at least 395 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the territory since the ceasefire came into effect. The toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Mourners stand next to bodies of members of the Al-Nader family, who were reportedly killed the previous day by Israeli fire on a school-turned-shelter in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, as they prepare for their funeral on December 20, 2025. (Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP)
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire, with three soldiers killed in Gaza since the truce entered into force.
Separately, the army published footage on Saturday showing the demolition of Hamas tunnels on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line in the Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip.
The footage was released as the IDF announced that the Kfir Brigade was being replaced in the area by the 188th Armored Brigade.
Over the past few months, the IDF said Kfir troops, alongside the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, have demolished hundreds of “terror infrastructures” in Khan Younis, including a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) tunnel and another stretching hundreds of meters.
Give a Hanukkah gift that illuminates
This year, send your loved ones a special connection to Israel and the Jewish world.
A Times of Israel Community gift membership entitles your recipient to one full year of membership benefits, at a special discounted price.
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You appreciate our journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel