An Israeli soldier was killed in what the Israeli military described as a failed Hamas infiltration attempt into Israel early Thursday.

Zeed Mazarib, 34 was killed thwarting the attempt, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN Thursday.

Such incidents have been rare since the October 7 attacks, which saw Hamas fighters swarm over the border and attack Israeli communities.

While the IDF said that the militants had not crossed the border fence from Gaza into Israel, the armed wing of Hamas on Thursday claimed its militants had managed to enter Israel.

The IDF said Thursday it had killed three militants who had approached the border fence between Israel and Gaza and fired at Israeli soldiers. The militants were killed in Gaza, 300 metres away from the border fence, the IDF told CNN. The whereabouts of a fourth militant who participated in the attempt were unknown, the IDF told CNN.

The militants were carrying RPGs and assault rifles and had moved towards the fence east of Rafah in an attempt to cross the border into Israel, the IDF said.

Hamas’ armed wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, said Thursday that it had launched “a landing operation behind enemy lines” in which militants “were able to penetrate the fence and attack the headquarters of the enemy division operating in the city of Rafah.”

The group did not provide further information on the infiltration or details on the alleged attack on Israeli military infrastructure. It also did not provide evidence for its claims.