Egyptian soldier killed in exchange of fire with Israeli troops
Israeli soldiers advance during an operation in the Gaza Strip
Source: AFP/-
The background is still unclear: On Monday, there was an exchange of fire on the border with Egypt in which an Egyptian soldier was killed. He is the first publicly known fatality in the ranks of the Egyptian military since the beginning of the Gaza war.
BAn Egyptian soldier was killed in an exchange of fire between Israeli and Egyptian troops near the border with the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian military spokesman announced this on Monday. It is the first publicly known fatality in the ranks of the Egyptian military since the start of the Gaza war almost eight months ago. Israel’s army confirmed an exchange of fire. The incident is being investigated and talks are being held with the neighboring country, the Israeli military said. However, the army did not provide any further details.
The Israeli news site ynet reported, citing army sources, that Egyptian soldiers opened fire. The information could not be independently verified. According to the report, other soldiers from the neighboring country were injured in the subsequent exchange of fire. An Egyptian government representative, however, told the news site Al-Arabi that Israeli troops had fired first.
The situation at the border has recently become even more critical following the expansion of the Israeli military operation in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. The army says it wants to destroy battalions of the Islamist Hamas there. Israeli troops advanced further there three weeks ago and took control of the Rafah border crossing on the Palestinian side as well as a border strip between Egypt and Gaza.
At the beginning of the war in October, there was an incident in which Israel, according to its own statements, accidentally fired on an Egyptian military post near the Kerem Shalom border crossing. According to the Egyptian army, several Egyptian border guards were slightly injured. The Israeli military apologized for the incident. Before the war began, there were several deadly attacks by militant groups on the border between the two countries.
Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979 after several wars. For a long time, the Arab Republic was, along with Jordan, the only Arab country to officially recognize Israel. For both Israel and Egypt, the peace treaty actually means a measure of stability in a region frequently plagued by conflict.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the peace between the two countries, which was already described as “cold”, has been put to a severe test. The relationship is now overshadowed mainly by mutual accusations.
The Gaza war was triggered by a terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas in the Israeli border region on October 7. More than 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 36,000 people have been killed so far in the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.