Israel says at least two killed in Gaza

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

The military said that “several armed terrorists” were identified on the Israeli side of the so-called yellow line in the northern Gaza Strip. The line marks the Israeli army’s withdrawal position as part of the ceasefire with the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas.

The military said the “terrorists” had emerged from underground infrastructure and taken cover under debris close to 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 the remaining terrorists,” the military said, adding that their crossing behind the yellow line was a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

There have been repeated deadly incidents in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on October 10.

According to various sources, Israel controls slightly more than half of the Gaza Strip, which is around 41 kilometres long and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide.