The serious incident in Rafah: The terrorists who opened fire on the IDF force emerged from a terror tunnel in the area of the Jenina neighborhood in Rafah and breached the ceasefire.
Security sources said that the clashes occurred during an engineering activity by IDF forces against the terror tunnels. When the forces began to attack a central part of the tunnel, terrorists emerged from it and began firing at the forces - also using RPG fire.
The initial assessment in the IDF is that this was a terrorist cell that had been isolated for a long time in the tunnel and went on a 'suicide fight', realizing that they would be eliminated in the process.
Hamas denied involvement in the incident and claimed that they were "committed to the ceasefire and are adhering to it."
Following the incident, the IDF attacked several targets in Rafah, including buildings and tunnels. All this while the possibility of launching a very extensive wave of attacks is being examined, in response to the repeated violations.
Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir addressed Hamas' violations of the ceasefire agreement and said: "Hamas pledged to return the remaining hostages, but it is violating its commitment. We know the nature of this organization very well. It is an organization built on terror, fraud, and deceit. We will not remain silent about this - we will continue to work to return all of our hostages for burial, this is our moral and ethical duty.
If Hamas does not fulfill its commitments - it will bear responsibility and pay a heavy price. We will continue to act with strength, faith, and responsibility. Many challenges still await us, the war is not over yet," said Zamir.