The Israeli military said on Friday it launched overnight strikes at "eight terrorists" in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, killing three of them, with a fragile ceasefire still in place in the Palestinian territory.
The US-brokered ceasefire, which sought to halt the fighting between Israel and Hamas sparked by the group's October, 2023 attack has been in place for more than three months despite both sides accusing the other of repeated violations.
Earlier in January, Washington announced that the truce had progressed to its second phase, intended to bring a definitive end to the war, even as both sides accused each other of failing to comply with the terms of the truce, said AFP.
In a statement on Friday, the Israeli military said it had identified "eight terrorists" who emerged from underground and that the air force "struck and eliminated three of the terrorists".
Without providing any information on the identities of its targets, it said that further strikes were launched and that "soldiers continue to conduct searches in the area in order to locate and eliminate all the terrorists".
The Israeli military said its forces "remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat".
The first phase of the ceasefire largely halted the fighting and provided for the release of all remaining living and dead hostages held in Gaza in exchange for prisoners and the bodies of dead Palestinians held by Israel.
The remains of the final hostage, Ran Gvili, were returned earlier this week, with his funeral taking place on Wednesday.
- Hamas disarmament -
Israel said on Sunday that it would allow a limited reopening of the Rafah crossing, with only pedestrians allowed through, falling short of what aid groups and Gazans had hoped for.
The humanitarian situation in the territory of more than two million people remains dire, with most of the population displaced and many living in tents with little or no sanitation amid harsh winter weather.
The reopening of Rafah is also expected to allow the entry of the 15-member technocratic administrative committee created as part of the ceasefire to oversee the running of Gaza.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, made up of Palestinians, is charged with managing day-to-day governance of the territory and answers to US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace".
A key point of the ceasefire's second phase is the disarming of Hamas. On Thursday, Trump told his cabinet that "It looks like they're going to disarm".
Publicly, the Hamas group has fiercely resisted the idea of giving up its weapons.
In return, Israel is meant to fully withdraw its forces, who remain in control of more than half of Gaza, with an international stabilization force deployed in their stead.
