IDF kills 2 Hamas gunmen in Khan Younis
Palestinian sources say IDF operating in southern Gaza Strip part of plans to expand operations against gunmen
Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip say two Hamas gunmen were killed by IDF forces operating the southern neighborhood of Khan Younis on Tuesday morning.
Three people were injured in a separate incident near Khan Younis.
The army spokesperson said IDF troops entered Khan Younis on Monday evening.
Soldiers opened fire on a number of gunmen spotted planting a roadside bomb.
'Strip appears relatively quiet'
The IDF was instructed last week to step up operations against Palestinian gunmen and arms smugglers in the Gaza Strip.
"We can't hold on to areas in the Strip for an extended period of time, but we must act all the more forcefully against the terror infrastructures," army officials told Ynet, adding that "an expansion of the operation in Gaza is expected soon."
A senior army official explained the objective of the operations: "The Gaza Strip appears relatively quiet, except for a few Qassam attacks each day, but under the surface the motivation of the terror groups to carry out attacks remained very high. This reinforcement, which is demonstrated by the smuggling of large amounts of arms, isn't very evident now, but may become extremely visible in the future, and this needs to be stopped."
IDF forces operating in Qalqilya early Tuesday apprehended three wanted operatives, including a Fatah member. In a search of one of the operative’s hideout a Kalashnikov rifle was found.
In the Ramallah area four operatives were arrested, including two Hamas members; in Jenin four more operatives were detained, among them two Hamas members, and in the Nablus area three other wanted operatives were detained, including a Fatah member.
