IDF armored personnel carriers are seen in a field in southern Israel, near the border with the Gaza Strip, Nov. 13, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Amir Cohen.

A preliminary investigation into a shooting incident on the Gaza border in which three IDF soldiers were wounded has revealed that the terrorist spent approximately two hours inside Israeli territory before he was tracked down and killed.

The Israeli news site Walla reported that the terrorist was spotted at 2:08 a.m. on Thursday by an IDF observer while he was still within Gaza moving toward the border fence.

A unit of the elite Golani brigade was dispatched to the scene, though it is uncertain whether the force was told that the infiltrator was armed.

An officer and two soldiers reached the area in a jeep and then opened fire. In the resulting clash, the officer was moderately wounded, and the two other soldiers were lightly hurt.

At this point, another unit also engaged the terrorist, eventually killing him. The three wounded soldiers were evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. They are all expected to recover.

Altogether, it is estimate that the terrorist spent some two hours total inside Israeli territory, and the IDF is investigating why he was not intercepted before crossing into Israel in the first place.

The army believes the terrorist, Hamas operative Hani Abu Salah, was not under orders from Hamas itself, but was undertaking a revenge attack after his brother was killed by the IDF in a border riot in May.