(IDF)
The military said the terrorists “posed an immediate threat” and that soldiers moved quickly to eliminate them and remove the danger.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that its troops killed two terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line — the boundary marking territory the army holds after a partial withdrawal — and approached forces in two separate incidents in central Gaza.
The military said the terrorists “posed an immediate threat” and that soldiers moved quickly to eliminate them and remove the danger. The report was issued at 3:40 p.m.
The incidents came as the IDF carried out airstrikes and artillery fire on Hamas positions.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military will continue to use lethal force against terrorists found inside areas the IDF controls, stressing that operations to destroy tunnel networks beneath the Yellow Line will persist even during the ceasefire.
“Israel’s policy in Gaza is clear: the IDF is operating to destroy the tunnels and eliminate Hamas terrorists without any limits within the Yellow Line area under our control,” Katz said, adding that the campaign’s aims include returning all hostages and recovering the fallen while seeking to disarm and demilitarize Gaza.
Reports suggest Israel is considering offering safe passage to some 200 Hamas terrorists who are believed to be hiding on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line, largely in tunnels beneath Rafah — a city now under Israeli control.
Officials have said any withdrawal would not permit the terrorists to depart with weapons. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly weighing a proposal under which the terrorists would be allowed to leave in exchange for disarming and handing over the remains of Hadar Goldin, an IDF soldier killed in 2014.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, speaking to Kan on Wednesday, urged a harder line. “We need to eliminate the 200 terrorists stuck in Rafah. We’re close to killing them in the tunnels,” he said, indicating that forces in the area were nearing a decisive push.
Winter said combat soldiers and reservists would receive the highest priority for state benefits.
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