Israel says at least two killed in Gaza

The Israeli army said on Saturday it had killed at least two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The army said “several armed terrorists” had been identified on the Israeli side of the so-called Yellow Line in the northern Gaza Strip. This line marks the withdrawal position of the Israeli army as part of the ceasefire with the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas.

The army said the “terrorists” emerged from underground infrastructure and took refuge under debris near Israeli forces, posing what it called an “imminent threat.”

Two were killed and others were likely killed as well, the military said.

The information could not initially be independently verified.

Israeli forces were searching the area “to locate and eliminate remaining terrorists”, the army said, adding that their passage behind the yellow line constituted a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement”.

Deadly incidents have occurred several times in Gaza since the ceasefire came into force on October 10.

According to various sources, Israel controls just over half of the Gaza Strip, which is approximately 41 kilometers long and between 6 and 12 kilometers wide.