The Israeli military confirmed on Sunday the death of two of its soldiers in an attack attributed to Hamas militants in southern Gaza. The victims were identified as Major Yaniv Kula, aged 26, and Sergeant Itay Yavetz, aged 21, both members of the 932nd Battalion of the Nahal Brigade, one of the units permanently deployed in the region.
The assault, which occurred during a patrol operation near the Khan Younis district, reignited tensions in an area that remains under heavy fire and with few signs of an effective ceasefire. In the same incident, a reservist was seriously wounded and taken to a military hospital for treatment, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces. While operational details were not released, local reports indicated that the attackers used improvised explosives and short-range gunfire, prompting an immediate Israeli response in what are considered high-risk zones.
Witnesses from rescue teams said the clashes lasted several minutes before the area was secured. The Israeli government described the recent assaults as part of a “systematic campaign of sabotage” and vowed to continue operations aimed at “neutralizing active cells” inside the enclave. However, humanitarian agencies warned that renewed fighting could worsen the civilian crisis, forcing new displacements and further straining Gaza’s fragile medical infrastructure. As international mediators struggle to reopen dialogue channels, the violence leaves Gaza in a landscape where the ceasefire remains more aspiration than reality.
