Two Israeli soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire with Palestinian militants who infiltrated Israeli turf through a Gaza tunnel Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
The two were identified as 45-year-old reserve soldier Amotz Grinberg from Hod Hasharon in central Israel, and 20-year-old soldier Adar Berenaso from the northern city of Nahariya. Both were hit by machine gunfire and anti-tank missiles, Xinhua reported citing the statement.
At least one Palestinian militant was killed, while several managed to escape back to the Gaza strip. The Israeli Air Forces struck down the militant cell shortly after the fire exchange, the IDF added.