Israeli, Egyptian forces exchange fire, Egyptian soldier killed

Israeli and Egyptian forces exchanged fire near Rafah on Monday, with sources in the IDF telling Israeli media that an Egyptian soldier who fired at troops operating on a tunnel near the border, who returned fire, killing one Egyptian soldier.

After the incident, IDF officials contacted Egyptian officials to stop the fire. No Israeli soldiers were injured in the incident.

The IDF said that the incident was under investigation and there was a dialogue with the Egyptians.

The Egyptian Armed Forces said they were conducting an investigation regarding the incident and that one soldier had been killed. An Egyptian source told KAN News that “no one has an interest in this blowing up into a greater issue, either on a national level or a popular one.” The source noted that similar issues like these had occurred in the past, with no significant escalation.

An informed security source told the Egyptian AlQahera News on Monday evening that investigative commissions had been formed to look into the incident and take necessary measures to prevent its recurrence.

The source added that initial investigations found that Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists were exchanging fire in the area, leading Egyptian forces to "take protective measures and deal with the source of the fire."

"The international community must bear its responsibilities regarding the seriousness of the eruption of the situation on the Egyptian border with Gaza and the Philadelphi Corridor, not only for security reasons but also for the paths of the flow of humanitarian aid," said the source to AlQahera. "Egypt warned of the repercussions of Israeli military operations on the Philadelphi Corridor. Egypt warns against compromising the security and safety of Egyptian security personnel deployed on the border."

Egyptian security forces have targeted Israelis over the past year

Egyptian security forces have increasingly targeted Israelis in the past year.

Last June, an Egyptian police officer infiltrated Israel and killed three IDF soldiers. Egypt claimed that the incident occurred when the officer chased drug smugglers into Israel. An investigation by Israel found that the police officer infiltrated through an emergency gate in the border fence and walked 150 meters before killing two soldiers, infiltrating deeper into the country, and killing another soldier in an exchange of fire. The two soldiers killed first did not fire their weapons, indicating the Egyptian police officer snuck up on them before killing them.

In October, an Egyptian police officer murdered two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian guide.