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IDF kills two terrorists who violated Gaza truce

Soldiers completed a monthlong mission east of Gaza’s Yellow Line, dismantling tunnels, seizing rockets and killing terrorists before rotating out.

Israeli soldiers from the 16th Brigade operate east of the Yellow Line in northern Gaza in this undated photo released on Jan. 17, 2026. Credit: IDF.
Israeli soldiers from the 16th Brigade operate east of the Yellow Line in northern Gaza in this undated photo released on Jan. 17, 2026. Credit: IDF.

Israeli troops shot and killed two armed terrorists who approached their positions in separate incidents along the Gaza ceasefire line on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Soldiers operating in the southern Gaza Strip spotted two suspects who crossed the Yellow Line and posed an imminent threat, the IDF said. Troops opened fire, killing one of them.

In a separate encounter in the north, soldiers identified three terrorists crossing the same demarcation line and fired at them, killing one, according to the statement.

The IDF said its troops in the Southern Command remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to respond to any immediate threats.

Under the October ceasefire, Israel retained control over more than half of Gaza’s territory inside the Yellow Line, which separates areas held by the IDF from those under Hamas control. Hamas terrorists have repeatedly crossed into the restricted zone in violation of the deal, prompting Israeli forces to respond to what they characterize as immediate threats near the boundary.

Tunnel network dismantled in north Gaza

Israeli troops have completed a monthlong mission east of the Yellow Line in northern Gaza, dismantling a tunnel route and uncovering rockets, the military said on Saturday.

Troops from the 16th Brigade, operating under the 252nd Division, destroyed hundreds of Hamas-linked terror sites above and below ground, including tunnel shafts and weapons depots, and killed dozens of terrorists who it said posed an immediate threat.

The 16th “Jerusalem” Reserve Infantry Brigade has now completed its sixth combat rotation in northern Gaza and is being replaced by the 3rd “Alexandroni” Reserve Infantry Brigade, while Southern Command forces remain deployed under the ceasefire framework and “will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat,” according to the statement.

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