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Egyptian And Israeli Soldiers Exchange Fire, Leaving One Dead

Egypt

(Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Ilan Hulkower Contributor
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Israeli and Egyptian soldiers exchanged gunfire Monday near Rafah in an incident that left one Egyptian dead, The Jerusalem Post reported citing Maariv, a local Israeli news outlet.

Sources within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that Egyptian troops shot first, prompting Israeli forces to return fire, The Jerusalem Post reported. (RELATED: ‘A Waste’: Biden Admin’s Costly Gaza Pier Already Plagued By Setbacks, ‘Logistical’ Problems)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the armed clash, tweeting in Hebrew that “the [incident] is under investigation” and that “dialogue is taking place with the Egyptian side.”

An Egyptian spokesperson said that his country’s military was also looking into the shooting. “The Egyptian Armed Forces are conducting an investigation through the competent authorities regarding a shooting incident in the border area in Rafah, which led to the martyrdom of one of the personnel,” the spokesperson tweeted in Arabic.

This is not the first flare-up between Israel and Egypt since the war in Gaza began. On Oct. 8, the day after the Hamas massacre that started the conflict, an Egyptian police officer murdered two Israeli tourists and their guide, The Jerusalem Post reported.

A few weeks later, the IDF said that one of its tanks had accidentally fired on an Egyptian position near the crossing, leaving several border guards with minor injuries, Reuters noted.

Israel and Egypt had cooperated in blockading the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip since 2007. On May 6, Israeli forces seized control of the Gaza side of the border as part of their ongoing offensive against the city of Rafah, according to Al Jazeera. Egypt has allowed humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, but has admitted only small numbers of Gazan refugees to cross into Egypt, NPR reported.