The Israeli Air Force recently eliminated a terrorist cell in the Gaza Strip after its members fired an anti-tank missile at IDF troops, the military said on Friday.
During operations in the last few weeks in the Tuffah and al-Daraj quarters of Gaza City, the terrorist cell fired at soldiers of the 401st “Iron Tracks” Brigade from a building, the statement read.
In a “rapid” response, an aircraft eliminated the terrorists with no casualties to Israeli forces, the IDF said.
Additionally, the troops located and destroyed several rocket launchers intended for firing at Israeli territory, it added.
“IDF forces will continue to operate against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip to protect the citizens of the State of Israel and, in particular, the residents of the Gaza envelope,” the statement concluded.
Also on Friday, Defense Minister Israel Katz commended Israel’s security forces, tweeting: “Thousands of IDF soldiers, both regular and reservists, are currently fighting bravely in Gaza for the release of the hostages and the eradication of Hamas terrorists.”
Katz noted that the IDF is operating with “great force, providing comprehensive protection for maneuvering forces from the air, land and sea, and supporting operations with heavy equipment to neutralize explosives and demolish threatening structures.
“The achievements are significant, yet the dangers remain great and the price is heavy,” he wrote.
He concluded his post by saying that all Israelis “must embrace and support” the IDF’s commanders and soldiers, and “pray for their safety and success.”
On Thursday, an IDF reservist was killed and two others were seriously wounded battling Hamas terrorists in northern Gaza.
The military named the slain man as Master Sgt. (res.) Asaf Cafri, 26, a tank driver in the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade’s 79th Battalion, from Beit Hashmonai near Ramla in central Israel. He was promoted from the rank of Sgt. 1st Class following his death.
In the same incident in the northern Strip, a fellow reservist of the 79th Battalion and an officer in the Yahalom special forces engineering unit sustained serious wounds. The soldiers were evacuated to a hospital and their families were notified, the IDF said.
According to an initial IDF probe, Cafri, who was outside his tank, was killed by terrorist sniper fire in the Beit Hanoun area, near one of the army’s posts in the IDF-controlled buffer zone.
The two other soldiers were subsequently wounded by anti-tank fire launched by the terrorists, according to the initial investigation.