🪖 Gaza: fatal drone incident and ceasefire enforcement: Two reservists were killed Thursday afternoon while operating explosive drones at an army post inside the military’s buffer zone in northern Gaza: Master Sergeant (Res.) Nadav Kali, 24, from Har Halutz, and Master Sergeant (Res.) Ofek Moalem, 23, from Jerusalem. Both served in the 16th “Jerusalem” Brigade’s 7007th Battalion. According to the preliminary military investigation, an “Atalef” first-person view drone crashed during takeoff for an unknown reason. Several minutes later, the soldiers approached and picked it up, and it exploded, fatally wounding them.
The IDF temporarily grounded all small drones capable of carrying explosive payloads, including suicide drones and drones that drop explosives. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered an expert investigation headed by a Ground Forces brigadier general to establish the circumstances and prevent similar incidents.
In separate operations, the IDF reported eliminating four Hamas military-wing terrorists, saying they had recently advanced attacks against troops and Israeli civilians and worked to restore Hamas’ capabilities in systematic violation of the ceasefire. The military said the strikes were intended to remove the threats they posed.
Among them was commander Hassan Mahmoud Siam, eliminated in Gaza City on Wednesday. The IDF said he infiltrated Israel during the October 7, 2023, massacre and subsequently helped hold Amit Soussana, Keith and Aviva Siegel, and Dafna Elyakim hostage. Adham Sabhi Salim Ziara was eliminated in Gaza City on Tuesday. The military linked both men to shooting attacks, plans to fire on troops and the planting of explosive devices in the Yellow Line area.
Thursday’s strikes eliminated Hamas commander Jabr Moqbel in Deir al-Balah and sniper operative Hasan al-Batta in Khan Yunis, according to the IDF. Moqbel headed a money exchange network that transferred millions of shekels in foreign currency to Hamas. The military said the funds financed terrorists, restored military infrastructure and supported attacks against troops, and that it ontinues targeting Hamas’ financing capabilities to prevent military rebuilding.
Troops also dismantled an approximately two-kilometer terror tunnel in southern Gaza within the Yellow Line area. The IDF said Southern Command forces remain deployed under the ceasefire framework and continue operating to remove immediate threats.
At the Gaza border, troops detained several Israeli civilians who crossed a security barrier into a buffer zone inside Israeli territory while attempting to enter the Strip. Their motive was unclear. The IDF said they never entered Gaza and were brought back through the fence, which stands several dozen meters inside Israel. It reiterated that the area beside the barrier is a closed military zone, entry is prohibited, and approaching it endangers civilians and troops.
📍 Southern Lebanon: In southern Lebanon, the IDF launched an interceptor toward a suspicious aerial target over an area where its troops operate. The circumstances remain under investigation. No sirens sounded in Israeli communities because the military assessed that Israeli civilians faced no threat.
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