According to the news, when the firefight took place the militants were

The Israeli military says two soldiers were killed in a fierce firefight with militants Friday who were planting explosives along the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. Two other Israeli soldiers were evacuated to a hospital after being wounded in the exchange of fire, which the military blamed on Hamas, holding the militant group solely responsible for maintaining peace and quiet in the Gaza Strip. Israel says its soldiers opened fire on the militants planting explosives, killing two of them. Friday’s violence was some of the worst in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip since Israel’s military offensive there more than a year ago. Two Palestinians, one a 10-year-old boy, were also wounded, Gaza hospital officials told the Associated Press.