Egypt military says guard killed in ‘shooting’ at Rafah border

Cairo, Egypt – AFP

Egypt’s military said Monday that a border guard was killed in a shooting in the Rafah border area with Gaza, where Israeli forces are deployed, adding that a probe had been launched.

“The Egyptian armed forces, through the competent authorities, are investigating a shooting incident in the Rafah border area which led to the martyrdom of a guard,” a military statement said.

The Israeli military reported a “shooting incident” on the Egyptian border and said it was discussing the incident with Egypt.

Al-Qahera News quoted a defence official as saying an initial probe of the shooting incident indicated that Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters had exchanged fire, “which led to shooting in several directions”.

“The Egyptian security personnel were taking protective measures and dealing with the source of the fire,” the official added.

Egypt has been keen both to remain in solidarity with the Palestinians and retain its ties with Israel.

Egypt was in 1979 the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, but their relationship since then has often been labelled a “cold peace”.

Cairo fears domestic repercussions over the war, and tensions have soared since Israeli forces seized the Rafah border crossing, a key entry point for humanitarian aid.

The official quoted by Al-Qahera said that “Egypt has warned of the repercussions of the Israeli military operations” along Gaza’s border with Egypt, warning of “conditions that are difficult to control and likely to escalate”.