Israeli forces killed six armed terrorists during a firefight in the Rafah area of southern Gaza on Tuesday evening, the IDF said Wednesday, calling the incident a “serious violation” of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and underscoring the fragility of the truce just as Washington presses ahead with the next phase of its postwar plan.

According to the IDF, troops from the 7th Brigade identified six militants approaching Israeli forces in western Rafah. Tanks were dispatched to the area, and an exchange of fire ensued after the terrorists fired on one of the armored vehicles. The confrontation escalated to include airstrikes. Initial military statements confirmed two deaths; subsequent searches determined that all six terrorists were killed and that multiple weapons were found on their bodies.

“This is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the IDF said, vowing to “continue to act against any attempt by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip to carry out terror attacks against soldiers and civilians.”

The Rafah clash was the latest in a string of near-daily incidents testing the truce between Israel and Hamas. On Monday, the IDF said it killed three armed terrorists who crossed the ceasefire-designated Yellow Line in southern Gaza while attempting to gather intelligence on Israeli troop movements.

The military also announced Wednesday that Israeli troops uncovered rocket launchers in both northern and southern Gaza, further highlighting Hamas’ refusal to demilitarize despite the ceasefire. Soldiers from the Northern Gaza Brigade located a launcher loaded with a projectile aimed toward Israeli territory, while troops from the 188th Armored Brigade found and destroyed a multi-barrel launcher and a nearby rocket in the south.

בפעילות בצפון ובדרום רצועת עזה: כוחות צה”ל איתרו שני משגרי רקטות

כוחות צה”ל ממשיכים להשמיד תשתיות טרור במרחב הקו הצהוב בצפון ובדרום רצועת עזה.

אתמול, במהלך פעילות של כוחות החטיבה הצפונית להשמדת תשתיות טרור בצפון הרצועה, הכוחות איתרו משגר טעון עם רקטה מכוונת לשטח מדינת ישראל.… pic.twitter.com/kABOw7Yq9l

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 14, 2026

The ceasefire, brokered by the Trump administration after months of fighting, has reached an impasse over Hamas’ continued insistence on retaining its weapons. Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal last month reiterated calls for Israel’s destruction and rejected U.S.- and U.N.-backed demands to disarm the Iranian-supported group and demilitarize Gaza.

Mashaal also dismissed proposals for international oversight or renewed external administration of Gaza — a central component of President Donald Trump’s plan, which received unanimous approval from the U.N. Security Council in November.

Complicating matters further, Hamas has yet to return the body of Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, a move Israeli officials believe is intended to delay Hamas’ disarmament, scheduled for the second phase of the agreement.

Despite the tensions, U.S. officials signaled that Washington is pressing forward. President Donald Trump is expected to announce Phase 2 of the deal as early as Wednesday, according to The Wall Street Journal, including the appointment of a 15-member Palestinian civilian committee to oversee Gaza’s administration. The paper reported that Bulgarian diplomat and former U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov will be named as the top member of a Trump-led “Board of Peace.”

U.S. officials told the Journal that, despite “sporadic” violations, the ceasefire is largely holding and that Hamas has returned all but one hostage — a threshold Washington sees as sufficient to advance the broader 20-point framework.

That assessment is not shared by all parties in Israel. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to delay Phase 2 until Gvili’s remains are returned.

“Moving to Phase 2 at this time, when efforts to bring Ran back have not yet been exhausted, would mean losing the most significant lever of pressure on Hamas,” the group warned, saying it could amount to “a de facto sentence of permanent disappearance.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)