Five IDF soldiers were wounded Wednesday afternoon, one of them seriously, in an attack by Palestinian terror operatives on troops stationed in southern Gaza’s Rafah, the military said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas had violated the truce and vowed a response, saying: “Our policy is clear: Israel will not tolerate attacks on IDF soldiers and will respond accordingly.”

The IDF later said it had carried out an airstrike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis targeting a Hamas operative in response. The military did not elaborate on the identity of the target.

Palestinian media reported at least six killed in the strike.

According to the IDF, troops of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit had encountered several terror operatives who emerged from a tunnel in eastern Rafah — an Israeli-held area in the Strip’s south, where dozens of Hamas fighters are believed to be trapped underground. A gunfight then erupted.

The army said a soldier with Golani’s reconnaissance unit was seriously injured in the clash, while three other soldiers — including two from Golani and a non-commissioned officer in the Gaza Division — were moderately injured. A fifth soldier was lightly hurt.

In response, the IDF carried out airstrikes and artillery shelling in the area.

According to a preliminary military investigation, the incident began as the Golani soldiers spotted a suspicious figure covered in a blanket entering a building. A Namer armored personnel carrier (APC) with troops was dispatched to the area to aid in the search for the suspected terror operative.

The soldiers in the APC then........

© The Times of Israel