Gazan terrorists attempt to infiltrate Israel, evading IDF security buffer before being spotted

The attempted infiltration on the Gaza border began this morning at around 4:00 a.m., when soldiers monitoring surveillance cameras spotted suspicious movement amid foggy weather, according to an initial IDF probe.

Troops of the Desert Reconnaissance Battalion were then dispatched to the scene, in Gaza, just across from the Israeli border communities of Kerem Shalom and Holit, to search for the suspects.

At around 5:00 a.m., the soldiers came under fire by the cell, around 400 meters from the Israeli border. Moments later, two of the gunmen were killed in a drone strike, and a short time after that, a third was killed by tank shelling.

The cell was armed with assault rifles and RPGs.

A possible fourth gunman fled the area, though the IDF was still investigating this.

The IDF was also investigating how the gunmen reached the border area, where they were then detected.

The IDF announces the death of a soldier killed during the gun battle.

The slain soldier is named as Warrant Officer Zeed Mazarib, 34, from Zarzir, a tracker in the Gaza Division's Southern Brigade.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the attempt.