Two Israeli soldiers were killed on Sunday in the southern Gaza Strip, the occupation’s military confirmed. The two soldiers were identified as a Major and a Staff Sergeant, both members of units operating in the south.

The Israeli occupation forces also reported that a reserve soldier from the Gaza Brigade’s combat engineering heavy equipment unit was severely injured during the incident. He was evacuated from the field for medical treatment at a nearby hospital.

The operation comes amid increasing friction and violations of the ceasefire in various areas of the Gaza Strip, particularly in the south, where occupation forces continue field activities.

Earlier today, the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, reaffirmed on Sunday their “full commitment” to implementing the ceasefire agreement across all areas of the Gaza Strip, denying any role or knowledge of recent incidents reported in Rafah.

In an official statement, the group said: “We affirm our complete commitment to implementing everything that has been agreed upon, foremost among them the ceasefire in all areas of the Gaza Strip.”

The Brigades emphasized that it has “no knowledge of any events or clashes taking place in the Rafah area,” explaining that these areas are under full Israeli control. “Rafah and the surrounding zones are red areas that fall under the control of the occupation,” the statement read.

The brigades added that communication with their remaining units in Rafah has been completely severed since the resumption of hostilities in March 2025. “Contact has been cut off with the remaining groups we have there since the resumption of the war in March of this year, and we have no information as to whether they were martyred or are still alive since that time,” the group said.