Officials fear incident may endanger already challenged relations between Cairo and Jerusalem after increased tensions brought on by Gaza war
Ynet
An Egyptian soldier was killed on Monday in exchanges of gunfire with IDF troops at the Rafah border crossing, Saudi Arabian Al-Hadath television reported.
Officials in Israel confirmed that an ‘unusual incident’ had occurred at the border which was under the control of the military since the offensive on Rafah began earlier this month.
Egyptian sources told the Qatari Al Jadeed outlet that Israel was first to fire shots but the IDF said the soldiers were responding to Egyptian fire at them.
The IDF spokesperson said the incident was being investigated. ‘A few hours ago (Monday), a shooting incident occurred on the Egyptian border. The incident is under review and discussions are being held with the Egyptians,’ the military said in a statement.
The IDF on Sunday, began reducing its troop deployment in Rafah, following a ruling by the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to take steps to prevent civilian casualties. The military said the troops were being withdrawn for recuperation and training and that others remained in the area as the offensive on Rafah continued.
Egypt condemned the targeted killing on Sunday of senior members of Hamas, which caused fires and killed dozens, many of them civilians.