IDF troops come under mortar fire, bulldozer hit by blast in Gaza

This was the first incident in which Israeli soldiers came under fire in the Gaza Strip since Phase 1 of the ceasefire with Hamas expired at midnight on March 1.

By JNS

Terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired three mortar shells on Saturday at Israel Defense Forces soldiers deployed in Gaza Strip.

In addition, a D9 armored bulldozer in the area was hit by an explosion, the Israeli military said.

No injuries were reported in either incident.

“A short while ago, three mortar shells were fired at IDF forces operating on the outskirts of Khan Yunis; there were no casualties among our forces,” the IDF said in a statement.

The army initially suspected that the bulldozer blast was caused by a bomb or anti-tank missile attack, with later assessments suggesting it was caused by an old explosive device that was previously planted in the area.

This was the first incident in which Israeli soldiers came under fire in the Gaza Strip since Phase 1 of the ceasefire with Hamas expired at midnight on March 1.

Shortly afterward, Col. Avichay Adraee, head of the Arab Media Branch in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, issued an evacuation warning to residents in Abasan al-Kabira, Al-Qarara and Khuza’a, all towns in the eastern part of the Khan Yunis Governorate.

“This is your final warning—terrorist organizations are once again launching rockets from civilian areas. For your safety, you must immediately move westward toward the shelters in the Al-Mawasi area [west of Khan Yunis city],” Adraee announced.

Palestinian media reported that 14 Gazans were killed and several more were injured in attacks throughout the Strip.

In a statement later on Saturday, the IDF said that in response to the earlier attack, it struck a mortar launch site in Khan Yunis, targeting the area from which mortars were fired at Israeli forces operating in the southern Gaza Strip.

On March 18, the IDF renewed “extensive” strikes on Hamas terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip. The revived Israeli military campaign has been officially named “Operation Strength and Sword.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the military was acting after Hamas terrorists rebuffed several proposals by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire.

Netanyahu said last week that Hamas has “already felt our strength” since the military returned to fighting, adding that future ceasefire negotiations with the terror group “will only take place under fire.”