An Israel Defense Forces soldier was severely wounded, with three others sustaining lighter injuries, on Wednesday after encountering terrorists leaving a tunnel in the Gaza Strip, the military said.
In the eastern Rafah area in southern Gaza, troops encountered “several terrorists who emerged from an underground terrorist infrastructure,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.
According to Channel 12 news, terrorists detonated an explosive device on the troops’ armored vehicle, who responded by killing two terrorists. At least one terrorist escaped through the tunnel, per the Israeli TV station report.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implied that the incident constituted a violation of the terms of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“I wish a speedy recovery to our brave fighters who were wounded today in the encounter in Rafah. The Hamas terrorist organization continues to violate the ceasefire agreement and carries out terrorist attacks against our forces. Our policy is clear: Israel will not tolerate the targeting of IDF troops and will respond accordingly,” he said, according to a statement.
The injured soldiers—three in the Golani infantry unit—were evacuated for medical treatment, and their families have been notified, per the statement. The fourth is a noncommissioned officer from the Gaza Division of the IDF Southern Command, or “Firefox” Division.
“IDF troops in the Southern Command remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat,” the statement also said.
Earlier on Wednesday, IDF Chief of Staff Gen. Eyal Zamir visited the headquarters of the Southern Command’s 80th Division.
“We are operating across all arenas, near and far, against complex threats that are taking shape against us,” he told the troops.
“We must be prepared on every border and in every arena for a sudden terror threat,” he continued. “In the Negev, security and the civilian population are intertwined—this is a clear principle we operate by. We must continue to strengthen the connection with the civilian population and the security components in the area,” he added.
