Israeli troops and Egyptian forces near the Rafah border crossing exchanged fire on Monday leading to the death of an Egyptian soldier, Israeli newspaper The Times Of Israel said. Egyptian officials said that a border guard died in the ‘shooting incident’.
It said that an Egyptian soldier was killed in the incident and no casualties were reported among Israeli forces.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said they are in contact with Egypt following “a shooting incident” on the Gaza-Egypt border.
“A few hours ago there was a shooting incident on the Egyptian border, the [incident] is under investigation, dialogue is taking place with the Egyptian side,” the military says.
The Egyptian military later said a border guard was killed in a “shooting” in the Rafah border area with Gaza and added that it had launched a probe. “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,” an army statement said.
Rafah is an exit point that lies south of Gaza Strip, a narrow 41-km designated Palestinian territory along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea which lies north and northeast of Israel.
Israel said its military campaign to eradicate Hamas will see its forces enter Rafah that now houses millions of Palestinian refugees who were internally displaced following the onset of the latest instalment of Israel-Hamas conflict spurred by the October 7 attacks.
Israel faced new condemnation on Monday for strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that local health officials said killed at least 45 Palestinians, including displaced people living in tents that were engulfed by fire.
Sunday night’s attack, which appeared to be one of the war’s deadliest, helped push the overall Palestinian death toll in the war above 36,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and noncombatants in its tally.
“We pulled out people who were in an unbearable state,” said Mohammed Abuassa, who rushed to the scene in the northwestern neighborhood of Tel al-Sultan. “We pulled out children who were in pieces. We pulled out young and elderly people. The fire in the camp was unreal.”
There were three functional entry and exit points in the Gaza Strip. The Erez crossing which remains closed following the October 7 attacks. It is managed by Israel and is used to control the movement of people between Gaza and the West Bank via Israel.
The Karem Abu Salem point or Kerem Shalom Crossing is also under Israel’s control and is only used for the movement of commercial goods. Both Erez (aka Beit Hanoun) and Karem Abu Salem (aka Kerem Shalom Crossing) are shut officially and only allows passage of humanitarian aid.
On the opposite side of the Erez crossing lies the Rafah Border Crossing, situated on the border with Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The Sinai Peninsula is a large and tumultuous Egyptian region characterised by mountains and desert.
It has been a focal point of conflict for many years, dating back to the initial Arab-Israeli war in 1948.
Rafah Border Crossing is the primary exit point from Gaza and serves as a vital link between Gaza Strip and the outside world. It is managed by Egypt as per a 2007 agreement with Israel.
It is the only border that Israel directly does not control but its approval is required for supplies to enter Gaza from Egypt.
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