TEL AVIV, October 20. /TASS/. The Israeli military opened fire twice in the Shuja'iyya area of the Gaza Strip on Monday "to eliminate an immediate threat" after groups of unidentified men approached their positions, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
"On Monday, the IDF identified several terrorists who crossed the yellow line and approached the military personnel operating in the Shuja'iyya area, which posed an immediate threat to the military. The soldiers opened fire on the terrorists who crossed the yellow line to neutralize the threat. Shortly after, the IDF identified several more terrorists who crossed the yellow line and approached the soldiers in the Shuja'iyya area, which also posed an immediate threat. The soldiers opened fire on the terrorists who crossed the yellow line to eliminate the threat," the statement said.
It said that soldiers of the IDF Southern Command "are deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire agreement" in the Gaza Strip and "will continue to act to neutralize any immediate threat."
On October 19, the Israeli army said Palestinian radicals had violated the ceasefire by firing on the Israeli troops near the city of Rafah in the south of the enclave, killing two soldiers and seriously wounding one. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire and instructed the army to take action. After that, the army launched a series of strikes throughout the enclave, hitting dozens of targets. Hamas denies its involvement in the Rafah incident.