Israel and Egypt investigate a fatal incident at the border

On Saturday, three IDF soldiers and an Egyptian security official were slain, prompting the investigation.

On Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke by phone with his Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Ahmed Zaki, about the border firefight that claimed the lives of three Israeli soldiers and one Egyptian security official earlier that day.

According to a statement from the Egyptian Armed Forces, the defense commanders agreed to implement measures to “prevent a recurrence of such incidents in the future.”

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), “an investigation is being conducted in full cooperation with the Egyptian army.”

Each party provided a unique account of the conflict. The IDF initially reported that its soldiers disrupted a cross-border smuggling operation at 2:30 a.m. local time on Saturday. Two Israeli soldiers, one of whom was a female sergeant, were fatally shot at a frontier outpost, according to the Israeli army. A third IDF service member was subsequently slain by “an Egyptian policeman” who had crossed into Israeli territory, according to the report. In the subsequent firefight, the intruder was slain and a fourth IDF soldier sustained minor injuries, according to the Israeli army.

The Egyptian Armed Forces stated in a statement that the country’s border security personnel were “chasing drug smuggling elements” when a security official crossed the boundary and “exchanged fire” with the Israelis. Cairo did not specify how its representative infiltrated Israeli territory.

Since the signing of a peace treaty in 1979, the frontier between Egypt and Israel has been relatively tranquil. According to a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces, the last incursion known to have resulted in casualties occurred roughly ten years ago.