Egypt soldier killed in exchange of fire with Israel army near Rafah

The Egyptian army announced yesterday that a soldier was killed in a shooting near the border with the Gaza Strip, saying it is investigating the incident, Anadolu reported.

“The Egyptian Armed Forces are conducting an investigation by the competent authorities regarding the shooting incident in the border area in Rafah, which led to the martyrdom of one of the personnel in charge of security,” a military spokesman said in a statement.

The spokesman did not point the finger at any party.

The announcement came after the Israeli army said yesterday that an exchange of fire had occurred with Egyptian forces at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

“A few hours ago, there was a shooting incident on the Egyptian border, the [incident] is under investigation. Dialogue is taking place with the Egyptian side,” the army said in a statement.

No injuries were reported among Israeli soldiers.

Israel’s Channel 12 described the incident as “unusual”.

Israeli Army Radio said Israel and Egypt launched a joint investigation into the shooting incident to prevent any deterioration in their ties.

There was no comment from Egyptian authorities about the joint investigation. However, citing unnamed Egyptian sources, Al-Arabi TV reported that “the shooting at the Rafah crossing started from the Israeli side.”

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