The Israeli military has said that three suspects were killed near the security fence separating the southern Gaza Strip from Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a Telegram post that "several suspects... approached the border from the Gaza Strip and moved toward Israel in an attempt to cross the security area in the area of Rafah."
According to the post, the IDF troops "engaged the terrorists who opened fire at them. The troops then returned fire at the terrorists."
Two of the suspects were killed by an Israeli Air Force "aircraft that monitored the terrorist cell" while another was shot dead by a tank not long after, the IDF said, stressing that the suspects didn't cross the fence. "The incident is under review," it added.
It was not initially possible to independently verify the Israeli statement.
The war in Gaza was triggered by the unprecedented massacre carried out by militants from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on October 7.
The militants killed more than 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 hostages to the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, 36,550 people have been killed so far and a further 82,959 have been injured.
