Israel warns Hamas operatives behind IDF lines in Gaza to immediately evacuate or be targeted

Israel warns Hamas operatives who are holed up on the eastern side of the Yellow Line — the 53% of the Gaza Strip under Israeli control as part of the ceasefire — to evacuate immediately or be targeted.

Defense Minister Israel Katz says he instructed the IDF to convey this warning to Hamas via the US-led international monitoring mechanism overseeing the ceasefire in Gaza.

“Any Hamas operative found beyond the Yellow Line in territory under Israeli control must evacuate immediately. The leaders of Hamas will bear responsibility for any incident,” Katz says in a statement.

“Anyone who remains in the area will be targeted without any further warning, to allow IDF troops to operate freely and immediately against any threat,” he says.

Katz says the “protection of IDF soldiers is the top priority and we will take all necessary steps to ensure this.”

Yesterday, terror operatives emerged from a tunnel deep within Israeli-held territory in southern Gaza’s Rafah and launched RPGs at troops, killing two soldiers. Another three troops were wounded by sniper fire in the same area.

Hamas claimed that it was not responsible for the attack because “communication has been cut off” with its operatives in the zones under Israeli control.

The military has assessed that there are Hamas operatives still holed up in the terror group’s tunnels in areas under IDF control.