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A man was killed Wednesday in an IDF strike in Rafah in southern Gaza. The IDF said shortly after the attack that an IDF aircraft attacked a drone that crossed from Israel back into Gaza, and two suspects who picked it up in the southern Gaza Strip, in what is suspected to be an attempt to smuggle weapons. In Gaza, it was reported that the IDF attacked the Tel a-Sultan neighborhood in the west of Rafah.
The Palestinians reported that "residential buildings were bombed" in the southern Gaza city while according to the IDF "a drone was identified crossing from Israeli territory into southern Gaza, and was monitored by the IDF during its flight. Following this, the IAF struck the drone in southern Gaza, along with two additional suspects who were collecting it."
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Humanitarian aid trucks drive though Rafah in southern Gaza
(Photo: Hussam Al-Masri/Reuters)
The IDF noted that " several attempts to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip using drones have been identified" recently, including during the cease-fire. The IDF emphasized that it will "not allow any terrorist activity and will continue to act as necessary to ensure the security of Israel’s citizens."
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The reports from Gaza come amid tensions surrounding the crisis in the cease-fire and hostage release deal, following Hamas' announcement of a delay in next hostage release over what it says is Israeli violations of the deal. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that preparations must be made for a return to fighting, following a meeting of the political-security cabinet, and following U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to issue the terrorist organization an ultimatum - return "all the hostages" by Saturday at noon, or return to fighting.
On Tuesday night, the IDF spokesman announced an additional reinforcement of forces in the Southern Command, including the mobilization of reservists, following the prime minister's announcement. The IDF clarified that this is a preparation for various scenarios - and the decision was made after a security assessment of the situation.