The two terrorists who were responsible for the deaths of seven IDF soldiers in Khan Yunis last Tuesday were killed in Air Force strikes, the IDF and Shin Bet announced Wednesday in a joint statement.
An IDF aircraft, guided by the Shin Bet and the 188th Brigade, killed Hamas terrorists Yasser Abdullah Galban and Abd Altif Mousa Haggag Barbakh on Thursday in the Khan Yunis area.
The killed soldiers were Lt. Matan Shai Yashinovski, aged 21, from Kfar Yona; St.-Sgt. Ronel Ben-Moshe, aged 20, from Rehovot; St.-Sgt. Niv Radia, aged 20, from Elyachin; St.-Sgt. Alon Davidov, aged 21, from Kiryat Yam; Sgt. Ronen Shapiro, aged 19, from Mazkeret Batya; Sgt. Shahar Manoav, aged 21, from Ashkelon; and Sgt. Maayan Baruch Pearlstein, aged 20, from Eshhar.
All seven were soldiers in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade.
IDF troops destroy Hamas terror tunnel junction connecting Gaza cities
The IDF's Kfir Brigade, under the command of the 36th Division, destroyed a crucial tunnel junction that connected a series of tunnels in southern Gaza's Khan Yunis, the military said Wednesday.
Troops also destroyed a 2.5 kilometer-long and 39 kilometers deep tunnel route which connected Khan Yunis to Rafah.
The Kfir Brigade additionally seized numerous weapons from the tunnels.
Close-quarter encounters with terrorists
The IDF announced on Monday that the Paratroopers Brigade, also in the 36th Division, engaged in close-quarter combat with terrorists with the support of the Air Force, and dismantled hundreds of sites used by terrorist organizations in Khan Yunis, including tunnel shafts, operational centers, and long-term hideouts.
Troops had previously destroyed three kilometers of tunnel routes used by Hamas terrorists.
In addition to the 36th Division, the 98th, 99th, and 162nd Divisions are also operating within Gaza in the northern and central sectors.
On Tuesday, a rocket was fired from within Gaza and triggered sirens within its border communities before being intercepted by the IDF.
This is a developing story.