According to the Israeli military, three suspects were killed near the Rafah security fence

According to the Israeli military, three suspects were killed near the security fence that separates the southern Gaza Strip from Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a Telegram post that “several suspects … approached the border from the Gaza Strip and moved toward Israel in an attempt to cross the security zone in the Rafah area.”

According to the post, Israeli troops “attacked the terrorists, who then opened fire on them. The troops then returned fire on the terrorists.”

Two of the suspects were killed by an “Israeli Air Force aircraft monitoring the terror cell,” while another was shot dead by a tank shortly afterward, the Israeli army said, stressing that the suspects did not cross the fence. “The incident is currently under investigation,” it added.

An independent verification of the Israeli statement was initially not possible.

The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the unprecedented massacre committed on October 7 by militants of Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip.

The militants killed more than 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, 36,550 people have been killed and another 82,959 injured.