The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced they killed two terrorists on Wednesday for alleged involvement in the smuggling of weapons and other military assets into Gaza, according to a joint statement.

Basel Nabil Abd Al-Rahman Kashta and Ahmad Raja Al-Shaer were killed in the strikes in Khan Yunis to eliminate "an immediate threat to Israeli civilians and IDF troops operating in the Yellow Line area," the joint statement said.

The IDF and Shin Bet added that precise munitions and aerial surveillance were used to mitigate unnecessary harm to civilians.

The statement said that the IDF would focus its efforts on limiting Hamas's military build-up and its financing capabilities to prevent the terrorist group from regaining its capacity to threaten IDF troops and Israeli civilians.

IDF dismantles Gaza tunnel stretching past the Yellow Line

Separately, the IDF said Thursday that Combat Engineers, including from the Gaza Division's Southern Brigade and Yahalom, sealed and dismantled an underground tunnel route about 1.5 kilometers long that crossed the Yellow Line area in the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli soldier secures a tunnel underneath Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, in Northern Gaza Strip, November 22, 2023.
An Israeli soldier secures a tunnel underneath Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, in Northern Gaza Strip, November 22, 2023. (credit: RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS)

The tunnel contained rooms intended for use by Hamas terrorists, according to the IDF. Troops in the Southern Command remained deployed in the area under the ceasefire agreement and would continue operating to remove immediate threats, the statement said.

The IDF also announced Wednesday that the 99th Division had completed a four-month mission in the northern Gaza Strip, east of the Yellow Line.

During the operation, troops eliminated more than 100 terrorists and neutralized approximately eight kilometers of underground tunnels, according to statements from the IDF.