The Israeli Air Force struck several armed terrorists advancing toward Israeli forces in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to the military.
The Israel Defense Forces reiterated its call for Gaza residents to follow its instructions and avoid approaching forces stationed in the area.
Palestinian sources in Gaza reported that two Hamas-affiliated police officers were killed, and three other people wounded, in the attack.
In addition, the IAF fired warning shots to “repel suspicious vehicles moving north from the center of the Gaza Strip on a route that is not approved for vehicle traffic, without passing through the inspection route,” according to an IDF statement published Sunday afternoon.
The IAF on Wednesday targeted two terrorists who were attempting to recover a drone flown into southern Gaza from Israel, the IDF said.
Israel is reinforcing forces deployed in Gaza and mobilizing reservists to prepare for the possibility of the ceasefire with Hamas collapsing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene the Security Cabinet “soon” to discuss Jerusalem’s response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza to release all of the hostages it is holding.
Trump congratulated the three hostages freed on Saturday as part of the ceasefire agreement, but made clear that their release fell short of his call to free all the captives.
“Hamas has just released three Hostages from GAZA, including an American Citizen. They seem to be in good shape! This differs from their [Hamas’s] statement last week that they would not release any Hostages,” Trump wrote on Saturday on his social media platform Truth Social.
“Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United States will back the decision they make!” he added, seemingly referring to U.S. Eastern Time, which is 7 p.m. in Israel.
The president’s deadline was a reference to his previous warning that the “gates of hell” could be unleashed on Gaza if Hamas did not release all the hostages by the specified date and time.