Yaniv Kula (left), and Itay Yavetz (right). Photo: IDF

i24 News – Two IDF soldiers were killed in Sunday morning’s attack by Palestinian terror operatives in southern Gaza’s Rafah, within the IDF-controlled Yellow Line.

The fallen soldiers are named Maj. Yaniv Kula, 26 (left), and Staff Sgt. Itay Yavetz, 21 (right).

Both served in the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion and are from the central Israeli city of Modiin.

According to an initial IDF investigation, a cell of terror operatives emerged from a tunnel in the area and fired RPGs at an excavation vehicle, killing the two soldiers.

In response to the attack, the Israeli Air Force and ground troops immediately carried out strikes in the area. Later, the IDF carried out a wave of airstrikes in southern Gaza, including against a tunnel system previously used by Hamas to hold hostages.

The IDF said, following Hamas ceasefire violations, it struck dozens of Hamas targets over the past few hours with over 120 munitions. Targets included six kilometers of underground terrorist infrastructure, firing posts and weapons storage facilities.

Additionally, the Israel political echelon has decided to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip in light of Hamas’s ongoing ceasefire violations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has officially named Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas “The War of Redemption,” saying it marks the nation’s resurgence following the October 7 attacks and two years of fighting in Gaza.