Timeline: How the Egypt border attack unfolded minute by minute
From an alert on the fence to the killing of the terrorist, here's how the attack on the Egyptian border unfolded.
4:10 a.m. - A subcommander called into Unit 203 (the border post which was attacked) by telephone, as opposed to by the standard walkie-talkie. The two soldiers reported that their situation was secure.
6:09 a.m. - A routine probe by other soldiers nearby found that the position was still secure.
6:34 a.m. – A lookout noticed movement near the Unit 203 position.
6:50 a.m. - The lookout probed the area, but did not see the invading Egyptian policeman, possibly because the fence blurred her vision and she may have been looking for multiple invaders, as is routine for smugglers, and not a mere single invader.
7:13 a.m. - A soldier from a nearby unit hears possible gunfire from the Unit 203 position and then sees movement away from the position. She assumes that she misheard- the heavy wind in the area can obscure such sounds at that hour - and that the person moving is Uri, who from a distance, looked about the same build as the Egyptian terrorist. She fails to report the incident.
9:03 a.m. - When a subcommander and the next shift arrive to relieve the two soldiers, they find them shot and killed.
9:22 a.m. - A dangerous operational situation is declared
9:27 a.m. - A tactical drone and various units start to actively probe the area in case a manhunt for a remaining hostile actor is needed (some officers thought that the terrorist had returned back into Egypt.).
9:34 a.m. - Someone else tries to cross into Israel from Egypt, but when confronted by IDF forces flees back into Egypt. This convinces some more officers that the incident may be over.
9:48 a.m. - Despite the above possibility of the incident being over, the entire battalion goes full force into manhunt mode.
10:37 a.m. - One of the battalion sub commanders believes she has identified the terrorist at a concealed elevated position, a substantial distance away from the Unit 203 position and from where he was expected to be, waiting in ambush for others.
11:08 a.m. - A tactical drone is launched which positively confirms that the concealed man is armed and likely the terrorist being searched for.
11:35 a.m. - A first attempt is made to attack the terrorist, but during the firefight, a third IDF soldier is killed and a fourth soldier is wounded. They are evacuated, during which there is an additional exchange of fire.
12:22 p.m. - A second more coordinated multi-sided attack is initiated against the terrorist
12:24 p.m. - The terrorist is killed.
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