JERUSALEM (VINnews) – The Israel Defense Forces carried out airstrikes against Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip overnight after several armed Palestinian gunmen emerged from a tunnel on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line in Rafah, the military said Friday.

Troops from the Golani Brigade, stationed in eastern Rafah, spotted the armed operatives exiting the tunnel Thursday, according to the IDF. The military described the incident as a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The troops directed an airstrike that “eliminated several of the terrorists,” the IDF said.

In response to the breach, the IDF conducted additional airstrikes overnight targeting “armed Hamas terrorists.”

Palestinian media reported that the strikes killed five people, including three in an attack on a Hamas police station near Khan Younis.

The IDF has previously reported that dozens of Hamas operatives remain trapped underground in the eastern Rafah area, on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line — known as the Yellow Line — with some 50 killed or captured in recent months amid ongoing operations to locate and neutralize threats.

The incident highlights persistent tensions despite the U.S.-brokered truce, with both sides accusing the other of violations as efforts continue to stabilize the fragile agreement.